2 


60 


6 


C36 


1844 


OF  THE 


TQSQiaQdsaa.  samuaaQU, 


AT 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 

MONATIOX  OF 

SAMUEL  AONEW, 

OF  PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


q4Z... 


/fartA/cJi/  /<£yJLf§5£  7 


\:  Case .  Division... 


Q> 


41 


© 

<o 

i 


© .  *. 


Shelf  %  Section .  .FTr T.  J.Q - 

Booh , 


o 

© 


>©^ 


S^s»>©  ❖ 


BT660.2  . C36  1844 
Calderwood ,  David , 

1575-1650. 

Pastor  and  the  prelate  :  or, 
Reformation  and  conformity 
. . .  with  the 


* 


t 


.  ' 


X 


. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/pastorprelateorrOOcald_O 


THE 


PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE 


OR 

REFORMATION  AND  CONFORMITY 

SHORTLY  COMPARED 

%  ~ 

BY  THE  WORD  OF  GOD,  BY  ANTIQUITY  AND  THE  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  AN¬ 
CIENT  KIRK,  BY  THE  NATURE  AND  USE  OF  THINGS  INDIFFERENT,  BY 
THE  PROCEEDINGS  OF  OUR  OWN  KIRK,  BY  THE  WEAL  OF  THE 
KIRK  AND  OF  THE  PEOPLE’S  SOULS,  AND  BY  THE  GOOD  OF 
THE  COMMONWEALTH  AND  OF  OUR  OUTWARD  ESTATE; 

WITH 

THE  ANSWER  OF  THE  COMMON  AND  CHIEF  OBJECTIONS 

AGAINST  EVERY  PART : 


SHOWING  WHETHER  OF  THE  TWO  IS  TO  BE  FOLLOWED  BY  THE 
TRUE  CHRISTIAN  AND  PATRIOT. 

■  r 


BY 


Rev.  DAVID  CA 


i  /  Cf 


AUTHOR  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  SCOTLAND. 


On  •? 

u  v  «>  ^ 


And  Joshua  said  unto  the  people,  Ye  are  witnes'sfe^ttcairfl^ 
said,  We  are  witnesses. — Josh 

But,  1  Kings  xviii.  21,  it  is  said,  And  the  people  answere 


imi  hot  si  word. 


/W'N/\y'VW\ 


FIRST  AMERICAN  EDITION. 

I 

PHILADELPHIA: 

PUBLISHED  BY  SAMUEL  AGNEW. 

SOLD  BY  WM.  S.  MARTIEN,  PHILADELPHIA;  ROBERT  CARTER,  NEW  YORK  AND 
PITTSBURGH;  DAVID  OWEN  AND  SONS,  BALTIMORE. 

1844. 


WILLIAM  S.  MARTIEN 


INTRODUCTION 


TO  THE  EDINBURGH  EDITION  OF  1844. 

There  are  few  events  connected  with  the  ecclesiastical  his¬ 
tory  of  Scotland  more  interesting  to  the  student  of  Church 
History  than  those  which  happened  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  reformation  from  Popery 
was  a  glorious  and  happy  consummation  of  religious  liberty 
and  truth  to  the  people,  who  had  so  long  been  held  in  bond¬ 
age  and  ignorance  under  the  iron  yoke  of  the  Romish  Church, 
and  there  followed  after  that  eventful  epoch  a  season  of  com¬ 
parative  rest  and  tranquillity  to  the  Reformed  Church.  The 
Church  of  England,  although  reformed  in  point  of  doctrine 
from  the  errors  and  corruptions  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  still 
retained  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  that  church, — ceremo¬ 
nies  which  were  highly  obnoxious  to  the  Presbyterians  of 
Scotland,  and  which  they  looked  upon  with  the  utmost 
horror. 

King  James  VI.  during  his  minority,  and  at  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  his  reign,  professed  a  strong  attachment  to 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  affected  great  dislike  to  episco¬ 
pacy  ;  but,  after  his  accession  to  the  throne  of  England,  the 
splendid  ceremonies  of  her  church,  and  the  flattery  of  her 
bishops,  soon  captivated  his  mind  and  pleased  his  vanity. 
The  strictness  and  severity  of  the  Presbyterian  form  of 


8 


INTRODUCTION. 


church  discipline  so  annoyed  him,  that  he  determined  to 
bring  the  Church  of  Scotland  into  conformity  with  that  of 
England,  and,  with  this  view,  resolved  to  place  the  Scottish 
Church  under  the  dominion  and  jurisdiction  of  bishops  ;  but 
his  tyranny  met  with  the  most  firm  and  vehement  opposition, 
and  he  soon  found  he  had  to  deal  with  men  who  were  not 
afraid  to  stand  up  resolutely  in  defence  of  their  rights  and 
liberties,  and  to  uphold  and  maintain  the  purity  and  sim¬ 
plicity  of  their  church  government  against  such  tyrannical 
innovations,  and  the  whole  period  of  the  conflict  was  marked 
by  scenes  of  controversy,  contention,  strife  and  bloodshed. 
Among  those  who  opposed  those  oppressive  measures  of  the 
king  and  the  government,  none  were  more  zealous  in  endea¬ 
vouring  to  thwart  them  than  the  author  of  this  treatise, — 
which  is  now  for  the  first  time  reprinted, — a  brief  sketch  of 
the  more  prominent  parts  of  whose  public  life  may  not  be 
uninteresting. 

David  Calderwood  was  born  in  the  year  1575.  Of  his 
birth-place,  parentage,  and  early  life,  we  have  no  means  of 
correctly  ascertaining.  It  has  been  stated  that  he  was  by 
birth  a  gentleman,  which,  indeed,  is  very  probable,  as  few, 
except  those  in  the  higher  ranks  of  life,  received  so  liberal 
an  education  as  Calderwood  appears  to  have  possessed.  Be¬ 
ing  early  destined  for  the  church,  he  was  sent  to  the  univer¬ 
sity  of  Edinburgh  to  be  educated  for  that  end,  where  he  ap¬ 
plied  himself  with  great  assiduity  and  attention  to  the  study 
of  Theology,  critical  and  practical,  and  devoted  much  of 
his  time  to  the  investigation  of  Ecclesiastical  History.  Being 
possessed  of  talents  of  a  very  high  order,  he  took  his  degree 
of  A.  M.  so  early  as  1593,  and  in  1604  he  was  appointed  to 
a  church  in  Crailing,  near  Jedburgh,  where,  by  his  virtues, 
public  and  private,  and  his  faithfulness  to  his  office,  he  gained 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  who  knew  him. 

Calderwood,  during  his  labours  in  the  parish  of  Crailing, 


INTRODUCTION. 


9 


manifested  great  dislike  to  the  episcopal  form  of  church  go¬ 
vernment,  and  few  were  more  strenuous  in  their  efforts  to 
maintain  the  purity  of  the  kirk.  With  a  view  to  reconcile 
the  minds  of  the  people  to  the  change  intended  to  be  imposed 
on  them,  the  King  sent  the  Earl  of  Dunbar,  Lord  High  Trea¬ 
surer,  down  to  Scotland,  accompanied  by  two  or  three  eccle¬ 
siastics,  in  furtherance  of  that  purpose.  In  160S,  when  Law, 
Bishop  of  Orkney,  came  endowed  with  the  office  of  visitor 
to  the  presbyteries  of  Merse  and  Teviotdale,  Caldenvood, 
along  with  George  Johnstone,  minister  of  Ancrum,  firmly 
and  solemnly  declined  the  bishop’s  jurisdiction,  and  protested 
against  his  authority, — information  of  which  coming  to  the 
King’s  ear,  his  commands  to  the  privy  council  were,  that 
they  should  be  punished  in  an  exemplary  manner.  Their 
punishment  was,  however,  by  the  influence  of  the  Earl  of 
Lothian,  mitigated  to  confinement  within  the  limits  of  their 
own  parishes.  In  June  1617  Calderwood  was  summoned  to 
appear  before  the  High  Commission  Court,  on  the  8th  of 
July,  at  St.  Andrews.  He  accordingly  obeyed  the  summons 
and  appeared  at  the  appointed  time.  The  King  himself  at¬ 
tended,  and  entered  into  a  long  discussion  with  him  regard¬ 
ing  the  protestation,  in  which  he  used  many  arguments  and 
threats  to  bring  him  over  to  his  own  party,  but  he  found 
Calderwood  too  firm  and  true  to  his  cause  to  be  intimidated 
even  by  a  kingly  authority.  He  was  then  removed  and  sent 
to  the  tolbooth  of  St.  Andrews,  but  was  afterwards  brought 
to  the  jail  of  Edinburgh.  The  privy  council  then  ordered 
that  he  banish  himself  from  the  kingdom  before  the  follow¬ 
ing  Michaelmas,  not  to  return  till  it  was  the  King’s  pleasure  ; 
and,  on  his  giving  security  to  that  effect,  he  was  liberated, 
and  allowed  in  the  meantime  to  go  back  to  Crailing,  but  was 
forbidden  to  preach.  Lord  Cranston,  who  was  his  security, 
made  an  application  to  the  King  to  have  his  punishment 
changed  to  confinement  within  his  own  parish ;  but  without 

A  2 


10 


INTRODUCTION. 


effect.  He  then  petitioned  that  his  banishment  might  be  de¬ 
layed  till  the  end  of  April  following,  as  the  season  was  dan¬ 
gerous  for  a  sea  voyage,  and  also  that  he  might  have  time 
to  get  up  his  year’s  stipend.  The  King  replied,  that  “  How- 
beit  he  begged,  it  were  no  matter,  he  would  know  himself 
better  the  next  time;  and,  for  the  season  of  the  year,  if  he 
drowned  in  the  seas,  he  might  thank  God  that  he  had  escaped 
a  worse  death.”  Cranston,  however,  being  so  eager  in  his 
importunities,  the  King  at  last  told  him  that  he  would  advise 
with  his  bishops.  The  time  was  thus  delayed  till  the  29th 
of  August,  1619,  when  he  set  sail  for  Holland.  In  the  mean¬ 
time  he  had  taken  advantage  of  the  delay  thus  afforded  him 
of  writing  a  book  called  “  Perth  Assembly ,”  which  was 
condemned  by  the  council  in  December  following,  when  the 
author  was  fortunately  out  of  the  way.  During  his  exile  in 
Holland  he  wrote  several  works  of  a  controversial  nature, 
and,  among  others,  appeared  his  celebrated  treatise  called 
uAlta?’e  DamascenumA  The  titlq  of  this  work  is  founded 
on  2  Kings  xvi.  10,  11.  It  is  one  of  great  learning  and  re¬ 
search,  and  gives  a  complete  view  of  the  question  at  issue 
between  the  Presbyterians  and  Episcopalians,  as  to  church 
government,  discipline  and  worship.  It  is  said  that  King 
James,  after  perusing  it,  sat  for  some  time  looking  very  pen¬ 
sive,  and  when  asked  by  one  of  his  bishops  what  ailed  him, 
he  told  what  book  he  had  been  reading.  “  Let  not  that  trou¬ 
ble  your  Majesty,”  said  the  bishop,  “  I  shall  soon  answer 
it.”  “  Answer  what,  man?”  replied  the  King.  “  There  is 
nothing  here  but  Scripture,  reason,  and  the  fathers.” 

In  1624;  Calderwood  returned  to  his  native  country,  and 
remained  privately  a  considerable  time  in  Edinburgh.  In 
1638  he  was  appointed  minister  of  Pencaitland,  in  East  Lo¬ 
thian,  and  continued  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  take 
an  active  part  in  the  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  the  period,  and 
devoted  himself  to  the  investigation  and  arrangement  of  all 


INTRODUCTION. 


11 


the  memorials  and  documents  which  could  be  found  connect¬ 
ed  with  the  history  of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  The  General 
Assembly  of  1648  were  very  desirous  that  he  should  pro¬ 
ceed  with,  and  complete,  his  History  of  the  Church;  and  to 
enable  him  to  carry  on  the  work,  they  voted  him  yearly  a 
pension  of  eight  hundred  pounds  Scots.  He  accordingly 
completed  the  design,  and  has  left  behind  him  a  work  of 
great  research  and  immense  importance  and  utility.  There 
were  four  manuscripts  left  of  this  valuable  work.  One  of 
them  is.  in  the  College  Library  of  Glasgow;  another  is  in 
the  Advocates’  Library  of  Edinburgh;  a  third  was  in  the 
possession  of  the  family  of  General  Calderwood  Durham  of 
Largo,  but  has  now  been  presented  to  the  British  Museum ; 
and  the  fourth  belongs  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland.*  An  abridgment  of  this  work,  called  “  The 
Ti  'ue  History  of  the  Church  of  Scotland was  drawn  up 
by  Calderwood,  and  printed  in  1678,  under  the  auspices  of 
Mr.  John  Carstairs,  Mr.  Robert  McWard,  and  two  or  three 
others.'l' 

In  1651,  when  the  English  army  was  lying  in  East  Lo¬ 
thian,  Calderwood  removed  to  Jedburgh.  He  had  not  been 
there  long  when  he  took  unwell  and  died,  having  attained 
his  76th  year.  He  was  a  man  of  undoubted  piety  and  virtue, 
and  was  one  of  the  greatest  champions  for  the  cause  of 
Presbyterianism  the  church  could  boast  of.  In  learning  and 
acuteness  in  controversy,  few  in  his  time  could  equal  him, 
which  his  works  abundantly  testify.  Besides  his  Church 
History,  he  wrote  several  other  works  connected  with  the 
controversies  of  the  times.  The  following  is  presumed  to 
be  a  tolerably  correct  list  of  them.  They  were  mostly  pub- 

*  Calderwood’s  larger  History  is  now  being  printed  for  the  first 
time  by  the  Wodrow  Society. 

f  See  Appendix  to  the  late  Dr.  McCrie’s  Memoirs  of  Vcitch  and 
Brysson,  p.  495,  &c. 


12 


INTRODUCTION. 


lished  anonymously,  and  printed  in  Holland.  The  list  is 
drawn  up  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  McCrie,  and  forms  an  appen¬ 
dix  to  the  Life  of  Henderson,  by  the  late  Dr.  McCrie. 

Perth  Assembly,  4to.,  1619;  Parasynagma  Perthense, 
1 620 ;  The  Course  of  Conformity,  4to.  1H22 Defence  of  our 
Arguments  against  Kneeling  in  the  Act  of  Receiving  the  Sa¬ 
cramental  Elements  of  Bread  and  Wine,  impugned  by  Dr. 
Michelsone,  8vo.  1620  ;  The  Solution  of  Dr.  Resolutus  his 
Resolutions  for  Kneeling,  4to.  1619;  Queries  concerning  the 
State  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  8vo.  1621;  The  Altar  of 
Damascus,  12mo.  1621;  Altare  Damascenum,  4to.  1623; 
[This  is  an  enlargement  of  the  last-mentioned  work.]  An 
Exhortation  of  the  particular  Kirks  of  Christ  in*  Scotland,  to 
their  Sister  Kirk  in  Edinburgh,  8vo.  1624;  The  Pastor  and 
the  Prelate,  or  Reformation  and  Conformity  shortly  com¬ 
pared,  &c.  4to.  1628;  A  Dialogue  betwixt  Cosmophilus  and 
Theophilus,  8vo.  1 620 ;  The  Speech  of  the  Kirk  of  Scotland 
to  her  beloved  Children,  8vo.  1620 ;  A  Reply  to  Dr.  Morton’s 
General  Defence  of  three  Nocent  Ceremonies,  4to.  1623; 
A  Reply  to  Dr.  Morton’s  Particular  Defence  of  three  Nocent 
Ceremonies,  4to.  1623;  An  Epistle  of  a  Christian  Brother, 
&c.  8vo.  1624;  A  Dispute  upon  Communicating  at  our  Con¬ 
fused  Communions,  8vo.  1624;  A  Re-examination  of  the 
Five  Articles  Enacted  at  Perth,  4to.  1636;  The  Re-exami¬ 
nation  abridged,  &c.  8vo.  1636;  An  Answer  to  M.  J.  Forbes 
of  Corse,  his  Peaceable  Warning,  4to.  1638. 

A  very  interesting  and  authentic  memoir  of  Calderwood  is 
contained  in  Dr.  Irving’s  “  Lives  of  Scottish  Writers,”  vol. 
1 ,  on  whose  authority  the  last  nine  of  the  above-mentioned 
treatises  are  ascribed  to  Calderwood. 


THE  AUTHOR’S  PREFACE. 

i  '  -  ' 


TO  THE  CHRISTIAN  READER. 

For  no  other  is  this  intended,  (not  for  him  that  readeth  not,  but  cast- 
eth  it  by,  or  closeth  his  eyes  lest  he  see  truth,  judging  of  things  con¬ 
troverted  by  his  own  conceits,  or  upon  report,  and  not  upon  trial ; 
neither  for  him  that  is  either  so  antichristian  that  he  hath  not  the 
patience  to  read  one  page  written  against  prelates  and  their  hierarchy, 
or  that  is  so  unchristian  that  his  earthly  designs  are  his  highest  inten¬ 
tions,  and  esteemeth  all  motions  about  religion,  that  cross  him  or  com¬ 
fort  him  not  in  these,  to  be  either  seditious  commotions,  or  nothing 
but  idlements  of  indifference,)  but  for  him  who,  above  all  things,  loves 
to  see  the  truth,  and,  above  all  things,  loveth  the  truth,  when  he  hath 
seen  it,  that  is  even  for  thyself,  Christian  reader,  have  we  entered 
into  this  comparison  of  the  Pastor  and  Prelate,  and  at  thy  hands  do 
we  expect  the  performance  of  two  Christian  duties;  one  is  for  thine 
own  good:  That  thou  wilt  labour  with  thine  heart  for  more  feeling  now 
than  thou  hadst  faith  at  the  first,  when  it  wTas  often  foretold  from  the 
word  of  God  and  the  woeful  experience  of  former  times,  “That  this 
transcendent  hierarchy  of  lordly  and  lording  prelates,  brought  in  upon 
the  kirk  of  Christ  without  precept  or  example  from  himself,  would 
prove  at  last  the  ruin  of  religion.”  Now  may  be  seen  what  was  said 
before,  that  the  government  of  the  kirk  and  the  worship  of  God  are 
like  the  twins  spoken  of  by  Hippocrates,  and  that  the  one  of  them 
dwining  away,  and  dying  among  us,i  the  whole  face  of  the  other 
looketh  pale,  and  pitifully  proclaimeth  (if  the  cry  of  our  sins  would 
suffer  us  to  hear),  that  religion  herself  is  sick  at  the  heart ;  for  what 
is  the  daily  increase  of  old  papistry,  the  spreading  gangrene  of  new" 
heresies,  the  scoffing  at  holiness  instead  of  imitating,  the  laughing  at 
sin  instead  of  lamentation,  but  the  inseparable  effects  of  this  prelacy, 
and  the  ordinary  practices  of  our  prelates,  the  symptom  of  the  sick¬ 
ness  of  Christian  religion,  and  the  causes  of  this  cloud  of  wrath  that 
so  long  hangs  and  hovers  above  us.  Consider  that  (according  to  Ber¬ 
nard’s  observation  of  these  blind-winding  stairs  that  lead  down  to  de¬ 


i  Perth  Assembly,  Preface. 


14 


TO  THE  READER. 


struction)  i  this  hierarchy  which  in  the  beginning  seemed  a  weight 
so  insupportable  that  they  who  took  it  upon  them  could  not  hold  up 
their  faces  for  sin  and  for  shame,  did  appear  soon  afterward,  albeit 
heavy,  yet  tolerable, — of  heavy  it  became  light,  of  light  insensible,  ot 
insensible  delectable,  and  of  delectable  it  is  at  last  become  a  matter 
of  glorying:  that  which  was  a  glory  is  become  a  shame,  and  that 
which  was  a  shame  is  accounted  a  glory.  Ot  late  ministers  could  not 
be  found  to  fill  the  void  places  of  prelacy,  now  prelacies  cannot  be 
found  to  fill  the  void  hearts  of  the  ministers ;  so  far  have  we  turned 
from  that  which  we  lately  were,  and  in  so  few  years,  that  that  which 
was  nothing  else  but  a  rope  of  disgrace  is  wonderfully  changed  into  a 
chain  of  pride.  As  thou  lovest  Jesus  Christ  and  thine  own  soul,  and 
would  be  loath  to  communicate  in  all  the  sins,  and  to  involve  thyself 
into  the  guiltiness  of  all  the  evils  that  this  prelacy  hath  produced,  take 
heed  that  thine  eye  be  not  dazzled  with  the  varnish  and  splendour  that 
the  world  hath  put  upon  it  (for  in  substance  it  is  the  same  as  it  was  at 
the  beginning,  and  in  the  fruits  hath  proved  far  worse  than  at  the  first 
was  feared) ;  labour  to  keep  thy  judgment  sound  and  affection  sincere, 
still  thinking  of  the  painful  pastor  and  the  proud  prelate  as  they  were 
thought  on  since  the  reformation,  and  praying  to  God,  as  good  men 
did  of  old,  in  the  corrupt  times  of  the  kirk:  that  he  would  put  to  his 
hand  and  purge  his  vineyard;  that  he  would  whip  buyers  and  sellers 
out  of  his  temple;  that  he  would  strike  Gehazites  with  leprosy,  and 
that  he  would  bring  low  such  Simonites  as  now  are  so  high,  being 
lifted  up  by  the  ministry  of  Satan.  2 

Another  Christian  duty,  Christian  reader,  we  expect  at  thine  hands 
for  the  good  of  the  kirk, — that  whatsoever  be  thy  place,  higher  or 
lower,  farther  or  nearer,  unto  his  Majesty’s  person,  who  gladly  would 
acquaint  his  Majesty  particularly  with  the  state  of  the  kirk  in  his 
Majesty’s  kingdom  of  Scotland,  as  what  it  was  once,  what  it  might 
have  been  before  this  time,  what  it  is  become  of  late,  and  what  it  is 
like  to  be  ere  long  ;  but  either  cannot  for  want  of  occasion,  or  dare  not 
for  awe  of  the  prelates,  whose  courting  is  more  to  be  feared  than  their 
cursing, — that  thou  would  do  what  thou  may  to  make  this  following 
treatise  come  to  his  Majesty’s  hands ;  for  we,  his  Majesty’s  loving 
people  of  Scotland,  who  both  love  his  Majesty’s  person  and  crown,  3 


1  Quid  non  evertat  consuetudo?  quid  non  assiduitate  duretur  ? 
quid  non  usui  cedat?  Primum  tibi  importabile  videtur  aliquid,  pro- 
cessu  temporis,  si  assucscas,  judicabis  non  adeo  grave,  paulo  post  et 
leve  senties,  paulo  post  nec  senties,  paulo  post  etiam  delectabit.  Ita 
paulatim  in  cordis  duritiam  itur,  et  ex  ilia  in  aversionem.  Bernard, 
ad  Eugen. 

2  Expurga  Domine  vineam  tuam  sentibus  undique  et  labruscis 
oppletam:  fac  ut  olim  flagellum  de  funiculis  et  de  templo  tuo  sancto 
nummularios  expelle,  vendentes  ejice,  ementes  exturba,  cunctos  im- 
pios  mercatores,  nisi  poenitentiam  egerint.  Giezitas  lepra  percute, 
Simonitas  alte  volantes,  Satanseque  ministerio  in  excelsum  elevatos 
illide,  ac  dejice,  &c.  Nicol.  Clemaligis. 

3  Ephestion  Craterus  <bikoG*<nhii><;. 


TO  THE  READER. 


15 


acknowledging  the  duty  we  owe  to  his  Majesty,  commanded  in  the 
lirst  commandment  after  the  first  table,  to  come  nearest  unto  that  re¬ 
ligion  and  piety  whereby  we  worship  God  himself,  who  neither  love 
schisms  in  the  kirk,  l  nor  witty  reconcilements  of  truth  and  error,  but 
would  keep  the  truth  in  peace ;  who  neither  are  puritans,  nor  Brown- 
ists,  nor  seditious,  as  men  calumniate,  but  professors  of  the  true  re¬ 
ligion  as  it  was  at  the  first  reformed  among  us ;  and  as  it  hath 
furnished  unto  us  all  the  hope  that  we  have  of  eternal  happiness,  we 
would  show  his  gracious  Majesty  that,  according  to  the  saying  of 
Solomon,  “When  the  righteous  are  in  authority  the  people  rejoice,” 
&c.2  Our  hearts  were  filled  with  joy  and  our  mouths  with  laughter, 
when,  at  the  first  beginnings  of  his  reign,  we  did  not  only  hear  the 
fame  of  his  princely  inclination  to  equity  and  righteous  judgment, 
but  did  perceive  the  noble  proofs  thereof  in  trying  the  truth  of  things 
controverted,  while  his  Majesty,  with  that  worthy  king,  kept  still  one 
ear  shut  for  the  other  party,  and  with  that  wiser  king,  when  he  de¬ 
clared  that  the  wisdom  of  God  was  in  him  to  do  judgment,  would 
have  both  parties  to  stand  before  him  at  once,  that,  hearing  both, 
they  might  speed  best,  and  go  out  most  cheerful  from  his  Majesty’s 
face,  who  had  the  best  cause.  By  this  we  were  confident  that  his 
throne  should  be  established,  the  nations  swayed  by  his  exalted  scep¬ 
tre,  and  our  cause,  which  is  no  particular  man’s,  but  Christ’s  own 
cause,  should  be  heard  at  last,  and  righteously  determined,  that  every 
thing  in  the  house  of  the  God  of  heaven  might  be  done  alter  the  will 
of  the  God  of  heaven,  than  which  there  can  be  nothing  more  reasona¬ 
ble,  and  which  is  the  sum  of  all  our  desires.  Our  adversaries,  upon 
the  contrary,  out  of  the  experience  they  find  of  his  Majesty’s  disposi¬ 
tion  to  equity,  and  out  of  the  consciousness  they  have  of  the  iniquity 
of  the  cause  that  they  m  intain  only  because  it  maintaineth  their 
greatness,  have  used  all  means  to  prevent  his  trial,  have  stopped,  so 
far  as  may  be,  all  ways  ot  information,  and,  according  to  the  crafty 
counsel  given  to  Pericles,  not  being  able  to  make  account,  have  done 
what  they  can  that  they  be  net  called  to  account.  3  When  commis¬ 
sioners  were  to  go  to  his  Majesty  they  would  have  none  but  their  own, 
and  when  some  that  were  not  their  own  were  chosen  by  a  meeting  of 
the  kirk,  they  would  not  have  them  to  go,  which  hath  made  us,  after 
long  waiting  in  silence,  and  many  essays  to  resolve  in  end,  there  being 
no  other  way  left  unto  us,  with  all  submission  of  mind,  to  send  up  our 
Pastor  and  Prelate  in  print,  who  have  been  impeded  by  the  prelates 
to  come  together  in  person ;  neither  can  it  offend  the  prelate  that  the 
pastor  speak  the  truth  this  one  time  for  himself  and  the  prelate,  since 
the  prelate  so  many  times  hath  spoken  his  pleasure  for  both.  Our 
silence  and  ceasing  in  the  cause  would  give  great  worldly  ease  to 
ourselves,  and  greatest  contentment  to  our  adversaries,  who  now  cry 
nothing  but  Peace,  peace,  that  is,  a  peaceable  possession  of  their 


l  1  Tim.  v.  4.  2  Prov.  xxix.  2. 

3  Pericle  dicente,  non  invenire  se  quo  pacto  ministerii  rationem 
redderet,  atque  idee  conflictari:  ergo  inquit  Alcibiades,  qurere  potius 
quemadmodum  rationem  non  reddas.  Valer.  Max.  lib.  3.  cap.  2. 


16 


TO  THE  READER. 


honours  and  wealth  and  a  cruel  oppression  of  their  brethren,  but 
withal  would  prove  us  to  be  unfaithful  both  to  our  God  and  to  our 
king ;  l  for  beside  the  obligation  that  is  common  to  us  with  other  re¬ 
formed  kirks,  we  stand  bound  by  solemn  oath,  covenant  and  subscrip¬ 
tion,  published  in  the  world,  to  defend  the  doctrine  and  discipline  of 
this  kirk,  and  to  oppose  the  hierarchy  and  all  rites  and  ceremonies 
added  to  the  worship  of  God.  Silence  in  such  a  cause  may  be  sin  to 
other  kirks,  but  to  us  it  is  perjury  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  would 
also  prove  us  unfaithful  to  our  king ;  for  howsoever  the  prelates  pro¬ 
fess  in  public,  “  That  no  ceremony  no  bishop,  no  bishop  no  king,”  and 
do  suggest  in  secret  the  service  that  they  can  do  to  monarchy,  they 
do  but  mind  themselves  and  their  own  idol.  That  government  of  the 
kirk  is  most  useful  for  kings  and  kingdoms  which  is  best  warranted 
by  the  word  of  God,  by  whom  kings  reign  and  kingdoms  are  estab¬ 
lished.  The  pillars  of  his  Majesty’s  throne  are  of  God’s  own  making, 
— religion  upon  the  right  hand  and  righteousness  upon  the  left.  The 
pomp  of  ceremonies  and  pride  of  prelacy  are  pillars  artificially 
wrought  by  the  wit  of  man  for  setting  up  and  supporting  the  Pope’s 
tyranny,  “No  ceremony  no  prelate,  no  prelate  no  pope.”  When  his 
Majesty’s  wisdom  hath  searched  all  the  crooks  of  this  controversy, 
let  us  be  reputed  the  worst  of  all  men,  let  us  all  be  censured,  silenced, 
confined,  deprived  or  exiled,  as  some  of  us  are,  and  have  been  for  a 
long  time,  if  the  cause  that  we  maintain  shall  be  found  any  other  but 
that  we  desire  that  God  be  served  and  his  house  ruled  according  to 
his  own  will,  and  if  it  shall  not  be  found  that  the  kirk  of  God,  perfect 
in  order  and  office-bearers  without  prelates  and  their  ceremonies,  may 
be  governed  upon  a  small  part  of  their  great  rents,  with  more  honour 
to  God,  with  more  hearty  obedience  to  the  king’s  majesty,  with 
greater  riches  and  glory  to  the  crown,  with  greater  contentment  to 
the  body  of  the  whole  kirk  and  kingdom,  greater  peace  amongst  our¬ 
selves,  and  greater  terror  to  Satan  and  all  his  train  of  heresy,  profane¬ 
ness  and  persecution,  as  we  shall  be  ready  to  demonstrate  particularly, 
if  this  which  followeth  be  not  sufficient,  whensoever  his  Majesty  shall 
be  pleased  to  require;  and  which  we  are  assured  his  Majesty  will 
perceive  upon  small  consideration ;  for  a  mind  inclined  by  divine 
power  to  religion  and  piety  will  at  first  sight  discern  and  be  possessed 
with  the  love  of  the  heavenly  beauty  of  the  house  of  God,  they  both 
proceeding  from  the  same  spirit.  God,  all-sufficient,  bless  his  Ma¬ 
jesty,  both  in  peace  and  war,  both  in  religion  and  justice,  with  such 
success  as  may  be  seen,  even  by  the  envious  eye  of  the  enemy,  to  be 
from  the  finger  and  favour  of  God,  and  may  he  also  make  his  happy 
government  to  be  a  matter  of  congratulation  to  the  godly,  and  to  be 
admired  and  remembered  by  posterity  as  the  measure  and  example  of 
their  desires,  when  they  shall  be  wishing  for  a  religious  and  righteous 
king. 


i  Si  pacem  non  potest  habere  cum  fratre  nisi  subdito  ostendit  se 
non  tam  pacem  cupere,  quam  sub  pacis  conditione  vindictam.  Hie- 
ron.  ad  Theop. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE 


PART  I. 

THE  PASTOR  AND  PRELATE  COMPARED  BY  TIIE  WORD  OF  GOD. 

The  form  of  worship  and  government  to  be  learned  from  the  Word. 
— What,  then,  is  the  Kirk’s  part? — The  prelates  agree  not  among 
themselves. — They  halt  betwixt  two. — They  would  make  a  new 
ceremonial  law. — The  perpetual  and  due  office-bearers  in  the  kirk. 
— No  difference  in  Scripture  between  a  pastor  and  a  bishop. — No 
lord-bishop  in  Scripture. — No  bishop  of  bishops  or  pastors  in  Scrip¬ 
ture. — Every  pastor  in  Scripture  hath  his  own  particular  flock; 
none  is  without  a  flock,  nor  with  a  diocese. — The  pastor  hath  power 
of  ordination,  which  the  prelate  appropriateth. — The  pastor  hath 
the  power  of  jurisdiction,  which  the  prelate  usurpeth  and  appro¬ 
priateth. — No  such  majority  of  power  of  one  pastor  over  another, 
as  the  prelate  claimeth. — The  pastor  meddleth  not  with  matters 
civil,  but  the  prelate  is  more  in  the  world  than  about  Christ. — The 
pastor  and  prelate’s  form  of  prayer. — Their  preaching. — Music. — 
Baptism. — Celebration  of  the  Lord’s  supper. — Observation  of  the 
Sabbath. — Residence. — Life  and  conversation. — The  presence  and 
blessing  of  God. — Objection,  Bishops  are  warranted  by  the  Word. — 
Answer,  Showing  that  the  prelate  hath  no  warrant  in  the  Word 
and  the  manifold  difference  betwixt  the  divine  and  diocesan  bishop. 

That  the  worship  of  God,  and  the  government  of  the 
kirk,  which  is  the  house  of  God,  are  to  be  learned  out 
of  his  own  word,  is  a  truth  against  which  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  never  prevail.  For  we  ought  to  give  this 

1 


18 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


glory  to  God,  that  all  his  books  are  full,  and  written 
on  both  sides.  As  the  book  of  nature,  the  book  of 
providence,  and  the  book  of  conscience  is  perfect,  so 
also  the  Scripture,  which  is  the  book  of  grace,  is  per¬ 
fect.  We  ought  to  give  this  glory  to  the  Son  of  God, 
that,  as  he  is  a  perfect  high  priest  for  reconciliation, 
he  is  also  a  perfect  prophet  for  revelation,  and  a  per¬ 
fect  king  and  lawgiver  for  ruling  of  his  own  kirk  and 
kingdom.  We  ought  also  to  give  this  glory  to  the 
Spirit  of  God,  that  as  he  purposed  to  set  down  a  cove¬ 
nant,  a  testament,  and  a  perfect  canon,  so  in  fulness 
of  wisdom  he  hath  performed  his  purpose.  We  ought 
humbly  to  acknowledge,  that  the  kirk  hath  no  power 
(whether  by  translation  of  divine  ordinances  from  the 
Old  to  the  New  Testament,  under  pretext  of  piety, 
or  by  imitation  of  the  enemy,  seem  it  never  so  charita¬ 
ble,  or  by  man’s  invention,  let  it  appear  never  so  plaus¬ 
ible)  to  make  new  laws,  or  to  institute  any  new  office 
or  office-bearer,  any  minister,  or  part  of  ministration 
in  the  house  of  God.  But  that  it  is  her  part  to  see 
the  will  of  God  obeyed,  and  to  appoint  canons  and 
constitutions  for  the  orderly  and  decent  disposing  of 
things  before  instituted.1  We  call  here  the  prelates 
and  pastors  of  conformity  to  a  threefold  consideration. 
First ,  That  they  agree  not  among  themselves  about 
the  matters  in  question:  some  of  them  affirming  that 
their  hierarchy  is  warranted  by  divine  authority; 
others  confessing  it  is  only  by  ancient  custom;  and  a 
third  sort  defending  neither  of  the  two,  but  that  it  is 

1  Polycleti  regula  ad  reges.  Lesbia  regula  ad  aquitatem  opus. 
Bodinus  in  method. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


19 


apostolic.1  Again,  some  of  them  make  the  form  of 
kirk  government  to  be  universal  and  perpetual;  others 
holding  it  to  be  conformable  to  civil  policy,  as  if  man 
might  prescribe  unto  God  what  form  of  government 
is  fittest  for  his  house :  for  that  which  is  highly 
esteemed  among  men  is  abomination  in  the  sight  of 
God.  He  that  hath  the  seven  eyes  seeth  better  in  his 
own  matter  than  man  that  seeth  nothing  but  by  his 
light.  Wisdom,  that  hath  built  her  house,  and  hewn 
out  her  seven  pillars,  cannot  be  content  that  man’s 
wisdom  should  devise  and  hew  out  the  eighth  pillar. 
Secondly ,  They  should  consider,  that  the  arguments 
and  answers  that  we  give  to  them  against  their  hier¬ 
archy  and  ceremonies,  are  the  same  that  they  are 
forced  to  use  in  defence  of  the  truth  against  the  pa¬ 
pists;  and  the  answers  and  arguments  that  the  papists 
give  them  for  traditions,  for  the  pope’s  monarchy,  and 
for  their  will-worship,  they  are  forced  to  use  against 
us  in  defence  of  their  cause :  resting  thus  in  their  luke¬ 
warmness,  and  halting  betwixt  two,  for  the  love  of  the 
world;  which  hath  made  the  papists  to  say,  that  the 
prelates  disputing  against  them  are  puritans,  and  while 
they  dispute  against  the  puritans  they  are  papists, 
and  turn  to  their  side.  Thirdly ,  They  should  con¬ 
sider  that  the  form  of  government  and  divine  ceremo¬ 
nies  under  the  law,  were  not  removed  to  give  place  to 


i  Jure  divino  disciplinam  hierarchicam  tuentur  alii,  alii  jure  hu- 
mano  tantum:  alii  non  jure  divino,  sed  apostolico,  alius,  jc m  a.7ro<r<To- 
xtKn  xtivu  jwj  7rviujuart>in  Sio-u,  alii  episcopalem  majoritatem  rnutabi- 
lem  contendunt,  alii  tuentur  immutabilem,  ut  ex  Juello,  Saravia, 
Hookero,  Dounamo,  Barleo,  Bilsono,  Bancrofto  Tileno,  et  aliis  hier- 
archicis  satis  est  manifestum. 


20 


THE  TASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


the  inventions  of  man  under  the  gospel.  What  is 
beside  the  particular  precepts  of  God  in  Scripture  is 
against  the  general  commandment,  “  Thou  shalt  not 
add  to  the  word  that  I  have  commanded/7  &c.;  and 
therefore  let  us  say  with  Augustine,  a  We  are  brethren, 
why  strive  we?  our  Father  died  not  intestate,  but 
made  a  testament,  and  died  and  rose  again ;  the  father 
lieth  in  the  grave  without  sense,  and  yet  his  words 
are  in  force;  Christ  sitteth  in  heaven,  and  his  testa¬ 
ment  is  contradicted  on  earth, — let  it  be  read/7  &C..1 
Let  the  pastor  and  the  prelate  be  presented  before  the 
law  and  testimony ;  let  the  authority  of  the  one  and 
the  other  be  pondered, — not  in  the  weights  of  worldly 
avarice  and  ambition,  but  in  the  balance  of  the  sanc¬ 
tuary;  and  let  us  measure  their  callings  and  carriage, 
— not  by  the  cord  of  the  canon  law,  but  by  the  golden 
reed  of  the  temple,  and  we  shall  soon  see  whether  of 
the  two  hath  warrant  from  God. 

1.  The  Pastor  acknowledgeth  no  offices  in  the 
kirk  after  the  extraordinary  of  the  apostles,  prophets 
and  evangelists,  but  the  ordinary  of  pastors,  teachers, 
elders  and  deacons,  appointed  by  Christ,2  as  sufficient 
for  the  weal  of  the  kirk,  and  of  every  member  there¬ 
of,  in  all  things  spiritual  and  temporal. 

The  Prelate  setteth  up  one  hierarchy  of  arch- 


1  Quid  litigamus?  fratres  sumus.  Non  intestatus  mortuus  est  pa¬ 
ter,  fecit  testamentum,  et  sic  mortuus  est  et  resurrexit.  Tamdiu 
contenditur  de  hereditate  mortuorum,  quamdiu  testamentum  profera- 
tur  in  publicum,  et  cum  testamentum  fuerit  prolatum  in  publicum, 
tacent  omncs  ut  tabulae  apcriantur,  et  recitentur.  Judex  intentus 
audit,  advocati  silent,  praecones  silentiuin  faciunt,  &c. — Augu.  in 
Psal.  21. 

2  1  Cor.  xii.  28;  Eph.  iv.  11. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


21 


bishops  and  lord-bishops, — having  for  'the  head  the 
Roman  antichrist,  and  for  the  train,  suffragans,  deans, 
achdeacons,  officials,  &c.,  never  named  in  Scripture, 
nor  known  in  the  purer  times  of  the  kirk,  against  the 
weal  of  the  kirk,  and  of  every  member  thereof,  both 
in  things  spiritual  and  temporal. 

2.  The  Pastor,  according  to  the  Scripture,  putteth 
difference  betwixt  the  names  of  the  office-bearers  in 
the  New  Testament,  never  calling  the  ordinary  by  the 
name  of  the  extraordinary,  nor  the  inferior  by  the 
name  of  the  superior,1  as  the  pastor  by  the  name  of 
the  apostle  or  evangelist;  but  never  putteth  difference 
at  all  betwixt  a  pastor  and  a  bishop, — making  every 
pastor  to  be  a  bishop,  and  taking  the  pastor  and  bishop 
always  for  one. 

The  Prelate  maketh  a  confusion  of  names,  that 
he  may  put  himself  in  the  place  of  the  apostle,  as  the 
pope  will  be  in  the  place  of  Christ ;  and,  against  all 
Scripture,  will  make  so  great  difference  betwixt  a  pas¬ 
tor  and  a  bishop,  that  he  will  have  no  pastor  to  be  a 
bishop,  and  that  there  be  no  bishop  but  the  prelate. 

3.  The  Pastor  can  see  no  lord-bishop  in  Scripture^ 
but  the  Lord’s  bishop  only,2 — a  name  of  labour  and 
diligence,  and  not  of  honour  and  ease. 


1  Barnabas  is  called  an  apostle,  Acts  xiv.  4,  14,  because  he  was 
an  apostle  as  Paul  was ;  Titus  and  other  two,  2  Cor.  viii.  23,  and  Epa- 
phroditus,  Philip,  ii.  25,  are  apostles  or  messengers  of  the  kirks.  Acts 
xx.  28 ;  Philip,  i.  1;  1  Tim.  iii.  2 ;  Tit.  i.  7  ;  where  in  the  Syriac  for 
the  name  of  bishop  is  put  the  word  that  signifies  the  elder,  l  .Pet.  v. 
1,2. 

2  Only  Christ  Lord  in  his  own  house,  John  xiii.  13 ;  Heb.  iii.  6 ; 
Matt.  xx.  25  ;  kcltakv^huuv  KaT^ai/Tict^uv ,  but  Luke  xxii.  23,  the  simple 
word  Kv^uvuv,  that  is  denied  to  the  apostles  which  was  granted  to 

l* 


22 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


The  Prelate  will  admit  no  other  bishop  but  a 
lord-bishop,  which  he  hath  made  a  name  of  honour 
and  ease  without  labour  or  diligence. 

4.  The  Pastor  is  a  bishop  set  over  a  flock,  in  re¬ 
spect  whereof  he  is  called  a  bishop,  and  not  in  rela¬ 
tion  to  other  pastors.1 

The  Prelate  setteth  himself  as  a  bishop  over  pas¬ 
tors,  and  in  respect  of  them  is  called  a  bishop,  and  not 
in  relation  to  any  particular  flock. 

5.  The  Pastor  is  set  over  a  particular  flock,2  that 
may  convene  together  in  one  place,  amongst  whom 
he  is  to  exercise  the  whole  parts  of  the  ministry, — as 
preaching,  prayer,  ministration  of  the  sacraments  and 
discipline,  according  to  the  trust  committed  to  him  by 
the  Son  of  God,  in  whose  name  he  is  ambassador, 
from  whom  he  deriveth  his  power,  on  whom  he  de¬ 
pends  in  the  exercise  of  his  ministry,  and  to  whom 
he  must  be  accountable,  and  to  no  other  pastor  or 
bishop. 

The  Prelate  both  ordaineth  pastors  at  large,  with¬ 
out  assignation  of  a  particular  flock  (as  if  he  were 
either  making  masters  of  art  and  doctors  of  physic,  or 
as  if  ordination  should  go  before  election,  which  is  as 
absurd  as  first  to  crown  a  king,  or  instal  a  magistrate, 
and  then  to  choose  him,)  and  setteth  himself  as  a  pro¬ 
per  pastor  over  a  whole  province,  and  over  many 

kings,  which  the  sons  of  Zebedeus  sought,  and  for  which  the  apostles 
did  contend. 

1  Acts  xv.  2 ;  xx.  17  ;  Phil.  i.  1 ;  1  Pet.  v.  1. 

2  Kirks  of  Judea,  Gal.  i.  22;  kirks  of  Galatia,  Gal.  i.  2;  of  Asia, 
Macedonia,  &c.  ever  in  the  number  of  multitude ;  as  for  Acts  vii.  38, 
it  is  spoken  of  the  whole  nation  of  the  Jews  in  the  wilderness  camp¬ 
ing  about  the  ark. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


23 


kirks  in  divers  provinces,  as  well  of  those  that  he 
never  saw,  as  of  that  where  his  seat  is, — esteeming 
the  pastors  to  be  but  his  helpers  and  substitutes;  as 
having  their  power  from  him,  being  obliged  to  render 
account  to  him,  and  whom  he  may  continue  and  dis¬ 
place  at  his  pleasure. 

6.  The  Pastor,  with  his  fellow-presbyters,  as  he 
is  put  in  trust  with  the  preaching  of  the  word  and 
ministration  of  the  sacraments,  hath  received  also  of 
Christ  the  power  of  ordination  of  pastors,  where  pres¬ 
bytery,1  never  used  in  the  New  Testament  to  signify 
the  office  of  priesthood  or  order  of  a  presbyter,  can  be 
no  other  thing  but  the  persons  or  company  of  pastors 
laying  on  their  hands,  and  that  not  only  for  consent, 
but  for  consecration,  of  which  number  any  one  may 
pronounce  the  words  of  blessing. 

The  Prelate,  for  the  honour  of  the  priesthood, 
that  is,  out  of  his  ambitious  humour,  taketh  the  power 
of  ordaining  pastors  to  himself, — denying  that  a  whole 
presbytery  without  him  may  ordain  a  pastor,  except¬ 
ing  the  case  of  extreme  necessity,  as  women  are  ad¬ 
mitted  to  baptise;  whereby  in  a  manner  he  calleth  in 
question  the  lawfulness  of  our  ministry,  these  sixty 
years  past,  since  the  Reformation. 

7.  The  Pastor  hath  committed  to  him,  by  Jesus 

1  1  Tim.  iv.  14.  Neither  doth  the  apostle  deny  that  to  presbyters 
which  he  did  himself  with  them,  and  which  he  ascribeth  to  Timothy. 
1  Tim.  v.  22,  2  Tim.  i.  6.  Neither  the  prelate  himself  denieth  the 
power  of  ordination  to  the  presbyter,  but  the  exercise  of  the  power 
which  he  arrogateth  to  himself.  Ordinat  Deus  per  ecclesiam,  ordinat 
ecclesia  per  presbyterium,  ordinat  presbyterium  per  episcopos,  et  pas- 
tores  suos ;  singuli  conferunt  in  unum  quse  sua  sunt.— Jun.  animad, 
1187. 


24 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


Christ,  not  only  the  keys  of  the  inward  and  private 
court  of  conscience,  but  also  of  the  outward  and  pub¬ 
lic  court  of  jurisdiction,1  for  deciding  controversies, 
making  of  constitutions,  and  inflicting  of  censures, 
they  being  both  but  one  and  the  same  power  of  bind¬ 
ing  and  loosing.  He  hath  the  shepherd’s  staff  in  his 
hand  as  well  as  the  shepherd’s  pipe  at  his  mouth. 

The  Prelate  keepeth  the  staff  in  his  own  hand, 
and  arrogateth  to  himself,  even  amongst  them  who 
never  heard  him,  all  power  of  jurisdiction  (whether 
dogmatic,  didactic,  or  critic,  as  it  is  distinguished,2) 
which  the  apostles  themselves,  notwithstanding  their 
extraordinary  gifts,  would  never  do,  but  in  all  these 
parts  of  jurisdiction  behaved  themselves  as  presby¬ 
ters. 

8.  The  Pastor  findeth  it  to  be  so  far  against  the 
word  of  God  to  claim  any  authority  over  his  brethren, 
that  albeit  there  be  a  divine  order  in  the  kirk,  where¬ 
by  there  is  one  kind  of  ministry,  both  ordinary  and 
extraordinary,  in  degree  and  dignity  before  another, 
as  the  apostles  before  all  others,  the  pastor  before  the 
elder  and  deacon,  yet  he  can  find  no  minister,  ordi¬ 
nary  or  extraordinary,  that  hath  any  majority  of 
power  over  other  inferior  ministers  of  another  kind, — 
as  the  pastor  over  the  elder  and  deacon,  far  less  over 
other  ministers  of  the  same  kind,  as  the  pastor  or 
bishop  over  the  pastor.3 

1  Acts  xv.  6;  xvi.  4 ;  xx.  28,  29 ;  1  Cor.  v. ;  xiv.  32,  40;  1  Thess. 
v.  12;  1  Tim.  v.  17;  Tit.  i.  9 ;  Heb.  xiii.  17. 

2  Deciding  of  controversies,  making  of  canons  for  order,  or  cen¬ 
suring  of  offences. 

3  By  Scripture  no  apostle  hath  power  over  another  apostle,  nor 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


25 


The  Prelate  findeth  it  to  be  so  far  against  his 
place  to  quit  his  authority  over  his  brethren,  that  albeit 
he  hath  no  warrant  for  any  other  kind  or  degree  of 
ministry  than  the  pastor,  yet  he  usurpeth  majority  of 
power  over  pastors,  and  taketh  upon  him  both  direc¬ 
tion  and  correction;  and  that  not  social,  but  authori¬ 
tative,  to  beat  them  at  his  pleasure. 

9.  The  Pastor  is  separate  from  the  world  to  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  which  is  not  of  this  world:1  he 
will  not  be  called  gracious  lord,  nor  strive  for  the  right 
hand  or  the  left;  he  should  not  follow  the  pomp  of 
the  world,  but  must  shine  in  knowledge,  diligence^ 
and  godly  simplicity;  he  may  not  assume  another 
ecclesiastical  office,  far  less  take  upon  him  a  secular 
charge ;  he  may  not  divide  the  inheritance,  nor  bur¬ 
den  himself  with  worldly  affairs. 

The  Prelate  is  separate  from  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  and  thrusteth  himself  into  the  throng  of  the 
world, — he  would  be  called  My  Lord,  and  Your 
Grace ;  and,  without  respect  of  age  or  gifts,  preferreth 
himself  to  the  most  reverend  pastors :  he  robbeth  the 
nobility  and  magistrates  of  their  places  and  dignities, 
and  will  have  his  cushion,  his  coach,  and  his  courtly 
train:  he  is  a  lord  of  parliament,  of  council  and  ses¬ 
sion,  a  baron,  a  steward,  a  judge  of  civil  and  criminal 
causes;  and  why  not  bishop  of  the  order  of  the  garter, 
and  count  palatine,  that  at  last  he  may  have  both 


evangelist  over  another  evangelist,  nor  elder  over  another  elder,  nor 
deacon  over  another  deacon;  but  all  are  equal. 

1  Deut.  xxxiii.  8;  Ezek.  xxxiii.  7;  Zech.  xi.  17;  Matt,  xxiii.  9; 
Luke  ix.  59;  xii.  13;  xxii.  24;  John  xxi.  15;  Acts  vi.  2;  Rom.  i.  1; 
2  Tim.  ii.  4. 


26 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


swords  and  the  triple  crown,  as  the  Abimelech-like 
brambles  of  the  world  have  done  before. 

10.  The  Pastor  taketh  the  sum  and  forms  of  prayer 
from  the  directions  of  God,  from  the  Lord’s  prayer, 
and  from  the  prayers  of  the  godly  in  divers  places  of 
Scripture,  the  particular  arguments  and  petitions  from 
the  present  purposes,  persons,  places,  times,  and  occa¬ 
sions,  which,  as  the  mouth  of  the  congregation,  ac¬ 
cording  unto  the  grace  given  unto  him  from  the  Holy 
Ghost,  he  presenteth  before  the  throne  of  God  the 
Father,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.1 

The  Prelate  would  tie  the  pastor,  (albeit  he  had 
the  tongue  of  an  angel,)  and  occasions  never  so  con¬ 
trary,  to  certain  words,  and  a  set  form  of  liturgy,  and 
would  divide  the  prayer  betwixt  pastor  and  people, 
and  by  many  idle  repetitions,  would  bring  both  pastor 
and  people  under  the  guiltiness  of  vain  babbling  and 
popish  superstition. 

11.  The  Pastor  thinketh  it  the  principal  part  of  his 
ministry  to  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine,  because 
woe  is  unto  him  if  he  preach  not  the  gospel.2  And 
when  he  preacheth  he  will  have  God’s  word  only  to 
sound  in  his  own  house, — reading  nothing  but  the 
canonical  text,  and  comparing  scripture  with  scripture 
for  edification,  that  he  may  save  himself  and  those 
that  hear  him. 

The  Prelate  thinketh  of  preaching  as  accessory, 
and  would  have  it  worn  out  of  use  by  a  long  dead 

1  Matt.  vi.  7 — 9,  &c. ;  Luke  xi.  1 ;  Exod.  xxxii.  11 ;  Num.  xiv.  13  ; 
Acts  ii.  5;  xvi.  16,  &c. 

2  Acts  xxviii.  23 ;  Rom.  x.  15 ;  1  Cor.  i.  21 ;  ix.  16 ;  1  Pet.  iv.  11; 

2  John  x;  1  Cor.  iii.  12,  &c. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


27 


liturgy.  In  reading  he  would  have  no  difference  be¬ 
twixt  the  Apocrypha  and  the  canonical  Scripture,  and 
liketh  best  such  sermons  as  are  stuffed  with  philoso¬ 
phers,  poets,  orators,  schoolmen,  and  ancients  in  Greek 
and  Latin,  that  he  may  preach  himself,  and  be  ad¬ 
mired  of  those  that  hear  him. 

12.  The  Pastor  loveth  no  music  in  the  house  of 
God  but  such  as  edifieth,1  and  stoppeth  his  ears  at 
instrumental  music,  as  serving  for  the  pedagogy  of  the 
untoward  Jews  under  the  law,  and  being  figurative 
of  that  spiritual  joy  whereunto  our  hearts  should  be 
opened  under  the  gospel. 

The  Prelate  loveth  carnal  and  curious  singing  to 
the  ear,  more  than  the  spiritual  melody  of  the  gospel, 
and  therefore  would  have  antiphony  and  organs  in 
the  cathedral  kirks,  upon  no  greater  reason  than  other 
shadows  of  the  law  of  Moses;  or  lesser  instruments,  as 
lutes,  citherns,  or  pipes,  might  be  used  in  other  kirks. 

13.  The  Pastor  ministereth  baptism  in  the  place 
of  the  public  assemblies  of  God’s  people,2 — it  being  a 
note  of  our  Christian  profession,  and  a  protestation  of 
our  faith,  and  therefore  should  be  celebrated  publicly, 
as  well  as  ordination  of  ministers,  excommunication, 
confession  of  converts,  or  reconciliation  of  penitents. 

1  2  Chron.  xxix.  25.  Not  in  the  synagogues,  but  at  the  temple,  and 
for  that  time  of  ceremonial  worship.  1  Cor.  xiv.  19.  26;  Eph.  v.  18, 
19  ;  Col.  iii.  16. 

2  Matt,  xxviii.  19,  and  all  other  places  showing  baptism  to  be  a  note 
discerning  Christians  from  Infidels.  1  Pet.  iii.  21,  and  such  places 
proving  baptism  to  be  a  sign  of  Christian  profession.  Matt,  iii.,  the 
baptism  at  Jordan  solemn,  and  what  was  done  privately  by  the  apos¬ 
tles,  as  sometimes  was  in  the  infancy  of  the  kirk,  which  cannot  now 
be  a  rule  to  us  in  a  kirk  constituted. 


28  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 

The  Prelate  hath  given  place  to  private  baptism, 
and  thereby  entertaineth  the  superstitious  conceit  of 
the  necessity  of  baptism,  bringeth  in  the  absurdity  of 
conditional  baptism,  and  maketh  a  ready  way  for  pri¬ 
vate  persons  and  midwives  to  baptise. 

14.  The  Pastor,  as  the  words  of  the  institution 
prescribe,  and  after  the  example  of  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  hath  a  table  prepared  for  the  celebration  of 
the  Lord’s  Supper  i1  he  sitteth  down  in  a  public  com¬ 
munion  with  the  congregation,  in  the  most-custom¬ 
able  and  comely  form  of  sitting,  far  from  all  danger 
of  idolatry;  when  he  hath  given  thanks,  he  breaketh 
the  bread  sacramentally;  when  he  delivereth  the  ele¬ 
ments  he  uttereth  the  words  of  promise,  This  is  my 
body,  this  is  my  blood,  demonstratively;  the  people 
distribute  the  bread  and  cup  among  themselves  lov¬ 
ingly;  they  eat  and  drink  in  such  measure  as  they 
may  find  themselves  refreshed  sensibly;  and  as  before 
the  action  they  were  prepared  by  diligent  examina¬ 
tion  and  powerful  sermons,  for  trying  themselves,  so 
in  the  time  of  the  action  their  ears  and  their  hearts 
are  filled  with  pertinent  readings  and  pithy  exhorta¬ 
tions,  and,  after  the  action,  dismissed  with  joy,  with 
strength,  and  with  spiritual  resolution,  to  the  great 
honour  of  God.  the  enlargement  of  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  the  terror  of  antichrist,  the  peace  of  the  kirk, 
and  the  unspeakable  comfort  of  their  own  souls. 

1  Matt.  xxvi.  26 ;  Mark  xiv.  22 ;  Luke  xxii.  19 ;  1  Cor.  xi.  23  : 
out  of  which,  compared  together,  the  whole  institution  is  to  be 
learned,  and  not  from  the  last  place  alone,  since  it  containeth  not  all 
things  belonging  to  the  institution,  Matt.  xiv.  13;  Luke  xxiv.  30; 
1  Cor.  x. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


29 


The  Prelate  pretending  the  words  of  the  ninety- 
fifth  Psalm,  and,  after  the  example  of  antichrist  and 
his  followers,  hath  turned  the  table  into  an  altar-like 
cupboard, — the  table  gesture  of  sitting  into  the  ador¬ 
ing  gesture  of  kneeling  (with  no  better  excuse  of 
idolatry  than  is  expressed  in  the  obscure  terms  of 
abstractive  ab  objecio ,  and  objectum  a  quo  significa¬ 
tive), — the  public  communion  into  a  private  action 
betwixt  him  and  the  communicant, — the  sacramental 
breaking  into  a  preparative  carving  before  the  action, 
— the  enunciative  words  of  the  institution  into  a  form 
of  a  prayer  or  oblation, — the  Christian  distribution 
into  a  steward-like  partition, — the  refreshment  of  eat¬ 
ing  and  drinking  into  a  pinched  tasting, — the  prepara¬ 
tory  examination  and  preaching  into  a  schismatical 
disputation  about  kneeling  and  sitting, — the  spiritual 
exhortations  in  the  time  of  the  action,  either  in  a 
dumb  guise  and  comfortless  deadness,  or  in  a  confu¬ 
sion  of  the  readers  reading,  and  his  own  speaking  at 
the  giving  of  the  elements,  both  at  one  time, — and 
the  spiritual  joy,  strength  and  resolution  after  the 
action,  into  terrors  of  conscience  in  some,  the  opinion 
of  indifference  in  all  matters  of  religion  in  others,  and 
of  looseness  of  life  in  many,  to  the  mocking  of  God, 
the  re-entry  of  antichrist,  rending  of  the  kirk,  obdur- 
ing  of  the  papist,  stumbling  of  the  weak,  and  grief  of 
the  godly. 

15.  The  Pastor  thinketh  it  no  Judaism  nor  super¬ 
stition,  but  a  moral  duty  to  observe  the  Sabbath.1 

i  Gen.  ii.  2,  3  ;  Exod.  xx. ;  Deut.  v. ;  Numb.  xv.  32  ;  Neh.  xiii.  15  ; 
Isa.  lvi.  2  ;  lviii.  13 ;  Joel  i.  14;  Psal.  ex.  3;  John  xx.  16,  26 ;  Acts 
ii.  1  ;  xx.  7  ;  1  Cor.  xvi.  1  ;  Gal.  iv.  9,  10  ;  Col.  ii.  16,  17  ;  Rev.  i.  IQ* 

2 


30 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


Because,  first ,  the  observation  of  one  day  of  seven, 
albeit  it  be  positively  divine,  yet  it  is  not  ceremonial 
nor  for  a  time,  but  unchangeable,  and  obligeth  perpe¬ 
tually,  as  is  manifest  by  the  time  when  it  was  appoint¬ 
ed  before  the  fall,  when  there  was  no  type  of  redemp¬ 
tion  by  Christ,  and  by  numbering  it  among  the  ten 
precepts  of  the  moral  law,  written  by  the  finger  and 
proclaimed  by  the  voice  of  God,  which  cannot  be 
said  of  any  changeable  law.  Neither  can  it  be  called 
perpetual  and  moral  in  this  sense,  that  a  certain  time 
is  to  be  allotted  to  divine  worship ;  for  then  the  build¬ 
ing  of  the  tabernacle  and  temple,  the  new  moons,  and 
other  legal  festivities,  containing  in  them  a  general 
equity,  might  as  well  be  accounted  moral.  Secondly , 
the  change  of  the  Sabbath  from  the  last  to  the  first 
day  of  the  week  is  by  divine  authority,  from  Christ 
himself,  from  whom  it  is  called  the  Lord’s  day,  who 
is  Lord  of  the  Sabbath,  who  did  institute  the  worship 
of  the  day,  and  rested  from  his  labours  that  day, 
whereon  all  things  were  made  new  by  his  resurrec¬ 
tion,  and  sanctified  it,  even  as  in  the  beginning  God 
rested  from  all  his  works  on  the  seventh  day,  and 
blessed  it.  He  thinketh  it  no  more  contrary  to  Chris¬ 
tian  liberty  than  it  was  to  Adam,  in  his  innocence,  to 
keep  one  of  the  seven,  and  therefore  he  laboureth  to 
make  the  Sabbath  his  delight, — observeth  it  himself — 
and  by  his  doctrine,  example  and  discipline,  teacheth 
others  to  do  the  like ;  and  to  cease  not  only  from  all 
servile  works  which  require  great  labour  of  the  body, 
but  from  all  our  own  works  whatsoever,  drawing  our 
minds  from  the  exercises  of  religion,  and  serving  for 
our  own  gain  and  commodity,  except  in  the  case  of 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


31 


necessity,  caused  by  divine  providence.  He  would 
have  it  well  considered  wherein  the  Jews  were  more 
strictly  obliged  than  Christians,  and  what  liberty  we 
have  that  they  had  not.  Beside  the  Sabbath  he  can 
admit  no  ordinary  holidays  appointed  by  man, 
whether  in  respect  of  any  mystery,  or  of  difference 
of  one  day  from  another,  as  being  warranted  by  mere 
tradition,  against  the' doctrine  of  Christ  and  his  apos¬ 
tles,  but  accounteth  the  solemn  fasts  and  humiliations 
unto  which  the  Lord  calleth,  to  be  extraordinary 
sabbaths,  warranted  by  God  himself. 

The  Prelate,  by  his  doctrine,  practice,  example, 
and  neglect  of  discipline,  declareth  that  he  hath  no 
such  reverend  estimation  of  the  Sabbath.  He  doteth 
so  upon  the  observation  of  Pasche,  Yule,  and  festival 
days  appointed  by  men,  that  he  preferreth  them  to 
the  Sabbath,  and  hath  turned  to  nothing  our  solemn 
fasts  and  blessed  humiliations. 

16.  The  Pastor  findeth  that  every  part  of  his 
office,  and  every  name  whereby  he  is  called  in  Scrip¬ 
ture,  doth  call  upon  him  to  be  personally  resident,1 
and  where  he  resideth,  to  be  a  terror  to  the  wicked 
and  a  comfort  to  the  godly. 

The  Prelate  either  waiteth  upon  council,  session, 
or  court,  or  dwelleth  so  far  from  his  charge,  that  the 
speech  of  Caranza  (proving  the  necessity  of  the  per¬ 
sonal  residence  of  bishops),  may  be  applied  to  him: 
“  He  is  a  bishop,  but  without  overseeing, — an  am- 

1  Caranza  proveth  the  necessity  of  the  residence  of  bishops,  by  five 
places  of  the  Old  Testament,  by  three  out  of  the  evangelists,  and  five 
out  of  the  apostolic  writings  ;  and  how  can  he  be  a  bishop,  a  shep¬ 
herd,  a  watchman,  &c.,  that  is  a  non-resident. 


32 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


bassador,  but  runneth  where  his  errand  lieth  not, — a 
captain  and  soldier,  but  far  from  his  station, — a  father 
and  steward,  but  suffereth  the  children  to  perish  for 
want  of  food.”  Or  if  he  happen  to  be  resident,  his 
lordship  is  a  protection  to  the  papist,  to  the  carnal 
professor,  and  to  the  idol-minister  and  idle-belly,  and 
such  a  vexation  to  the  vigilant  pastor,  that  he  had 
much  rather  he  were  a  non-resident. 

17.  The  Pastor  must  be  so  unblameable,  that  he 
have  a  good  testimony  of  them  that  are  without.1 
He  must  rule  well  his  own  house,  having  his  children 
in  subjection,  with  all  gravity,  not  accused  of  riot,  or 
unruly.  He  must  be  sober,  not  given  to  wine  ;  he 
must  not  be  greedy  of  filthy  lucre,  nor  covetous  ;  he 
must  not  be  a  brawler,  a  striker,  or  fighter. 

The  Prelate  mocketh  at  conscience,  gravity,  so¬ 
briety,  modesty,  patience,  painfulness,  &c.,  and  call- 
eth  them  puritanising. 

18.  — The  Pastor  laboureth  to  keep  faith  in  a  good 
conscience,  and,  by  the  blessing  of  God  upon  his 
labours,  findeth  the  increase  of  the  gifts  of  God  in  his 
old  age,  and  the  grace  of  God  growing  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people.2 

The  Prelate,  by  losing  a  good  conscience,  maketh 
shipwreck  of  faith,  and  by  the  curse  of  God  upon  his 
sloth  and  defection,  may  find  himself  like  Balaam, 
who  seeking  horns  did  lose  his  ears — that  is,  seeking 
preferment  he  lost  the  gift  of  prophesy,  and  may  see 

1  2  Cor.  i.  12 ;  1  Tim.  iii.  2 — 8  ;  iv.  12 ;  2  Tim.  i.  13  ;  Tit.  i.  6, 
and  ii.  7. 

2  1  Tim.  i.  19  ;  Jer.  xii.  10 ;  xxiii.  1 — 5  ;  Ezek.  xxxiv.  2—23  ;  Zee. 
xi.  15—17 ;  2  Pet.  ii.  15,  16  ;  Jude  xi. ;  Rev.  ii.  14. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  33 

grace  decayed,  and  worn  out  of  the  hearts  of  the 
people. 

The  Prelate's  objection. — The  Prelate  will  ob¬ 
ject,  notwithstanding  all  the  evil  that  hath  been  said, 
or  that  ye  can  say  against  him,  that  the  name,  the 
calling,  the  power,  and  the  life  of  the  bishop,  is  set 
down  in  the  Word. 

The  Pastor's  ansiver. — The  question  is  not  of  the 
bishop,  but  of  the  prelate  or  diocesan  bishop,  whether 
he  be  the  divine  bishop.  Haman  could  think  upon 
no  man  but  himself,  when  the  man  was  named  whom 
the  king  would  honour  ;  even  so  the  prelate  imagin- 
eth  no  other  bishop  to  be  spoken  of  in  Scripture  but 
himself.  And  as  Alexander  the  great  took  Jupiter’s 
ominous  salutation,  z  naidiov  [0  child  or  babe,]  for 
iZ  rtai  Aios  [0  son  of  Jupiter,]1  even  so  in  the  prelate’s 
ambitious  ear,  every  word  of  a  bishop  sounds  honour 
unto  him.  But  the  truth  is,  that  the  pastor,  and  not 
the  diocesan  bishop,  is  the  bishop  divine. 

1.  The  diocesan  bishop  is  but  one,  in  a  diocese, 
over  many  kirks. 

The  divine  bishops  may  be  many  in  one  city,  and 
over  one  kirk. 

2.  The  diocesan  bishop  hath  a  form  of  ordination 
of  his  own,  different  from  the  ordination  of  the  pastor. 

The  divine  bishop  hath  no  other  but  the  ordination 
of  the  pastor. 

3.  The  diocesan  bishop  preacheth  at  his  pleasure, 
and  is  not  obliged  to  preach  by  the  nature  and  neces¬ 
sity  of  his  calling. 


l  Kxrx  m  tQn  ret ;  xx^oatru;  cnijj.Cx.tvuv.  Dixit  Arist.  in  Metaphys. 

2* 


34 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


The  divine  bishop  is  bound  by  his  calling  to  preach 
with  all  diligence. 

4.  The  diocesan  bishop  hath  no  particular  congre¬ 
gation  for  his  flock,  to  feed  with  the  word  and  sacra¬ 
ments. 

The  divine  bishop  is  tied  to  a  particular  flock. 

5.  The  diocesan  bishop  is,  for  the  greater  part,  a 
secular  person. 

The  divine  bishop  is  a  person  merely  ecclesiastical. 

Therefore  the  diocesan  bishop  is  not  the  divine 
bishop,  neither  doth  the  word  of  God  acknowledge 
any  diocesan  kirk,  or  any  prelate  or  diocesan  bishop 
charged  with  the  care  of  many  particular  congrega¬ 
tions,  and  having  majority  of  power  to  direct  and  cor¬ 
rect  other  pastors. 


PART  II. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  PRELATE  COMPARED  BY  ANTIQUITY,  AND  TIIE  PROCEED¬ 
INGS  OF  THE  ANCIENT  KIRK. 

Antiquity,  and  the  primitive  kirk,  the  fathers  of  two  sorts. — The  main- 
tainers  of  conformity  forget  themselves  about  antiquity  three  ways. 
— The  pastor  is  not  older  than  the  New  Testament,  the  prelate 
would  fetch  his  prelacy  from  the  Old  Testament. — The  pastor,  and 
not  the  prelate,  warranted  by  Christ. — The  pastor,  and  not  the  pre¬ 
late,  warranted  by  the  apostles. — The  pastor  keepeth  his  place  and 
authority  in  the  primitive  kirk,  when  the  prelate  beginneth  to 
work,  and  to  be  constant  moderator,  or  perpetual  president. — The 
pastor  seeketh  no  honour  but  by  his  doctrine  and  life ;  the  prelate 
forsaketh  this  way,  and  taketh  him  to  the  world. — The  pastor  wit¬ 
nessed  for  the  truth,  in  the  time  of  defection,  which  is  wrought  by 
the  prelate,  perverting  all  after  he  is  once  entered. — The  pastor 
complained  of  that  which  he  could  not  mend,  and  the  prelate  per¬ 
secuted  them  that  complained. — The  pastor  desired,  and  urged  a 
reformation,  which,  by.  all  means,  the  prelate  refused. — Objection , 
The  Christian  kirk,  for  three  hundred  years,  had  such  bishops  as 
we  have  now. — Answer,  Showing,  in  ma^iy  particulars,  the  differ¬ 
ence  between  the  primitive  bishops  and  our  prelates,  who  are  like 
unto  the  Roman  bishops,  in  the  most  corrupt  times. 


We  reverence  the  hoary  head  and  name  of  antiquity, 
but,  withal,  we  know  that  there  is  antiquity  of  truth 
and  antiquity  of  error,  and  therefore  would  make  dif¬ 
ference  betwixt  original  antiquity,  or  that  which  was 
from  the  beginning,  and  of  the  first  institution  and 


36  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 

antiquity  of  custom,  or  that  which  is  of  long  continu¬ 
ance.  They  that  take  themselves  wilfully  to  custom, 
against  the  first  institution,  resolve,  not  unlike  the 
Council  of  Constance,  when  they  set  down  their  blas¬ 
phemous  act,  Non  obstante.1  We  do  not  disregard 
the  practice  of  the  primitive  kirk  after  the  apostles, 
especially  it  being  compared  with  the  ages  following, 
but  would  have  it,  in  comparison  of  the  apostolic  kirk, 
to  be  esteemed  but  derivative,  as  which  admitted 
many  changes,  from  better  to  worse,  both  in  doctrine 
and  discipline.  We  honour  the  fathers,  but  so  that  we 
give  the  first  honour  to  the  Father  of  fathers,  besides 
whom  we  have  no  father — to  his  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
the  only  prophet,  whom  we  should  hear — to  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  only  teacheth  us  the  truth,  and  to 
the  Holy  Scripture,  which  only  carrieth  their  divine 
authority.  Wishing  all  that  are  studious  of  the  truth, 
in  the  point  of  the  controversy  in  hand,  to  take  notice 
of  these  two  things:  First,  that  the  maintainers  of 
conformity  many  ways  forget  themselves  in  the  mat¬ 
ter  of  the  authority  of  the  fathers,  for  albeit  they  daub 
us  with  the  fathers,  the  ancients,  and  all  antiquity,  yet 
they  themselves  will  not  hear  the  voice  of  the  fathers 
in  their  disputes,  whether  against  papists,  whom  they 
answer  with  the  same  exceptions  against  the  fathers 
which  we  bring  in  this  cause  against  them,  or  in  their 

l  Licet  Christus  post  crenam  instituerit,  et  suis  discip.  minislrave- 
rit  sub  utraque  specie  panis  et  vini  hoc  venerible  Sacramentum : 
tamen  hoc  non  obstante,  sacrorum  canonum  auctoritas  et  approbata 
consuetudo  ecclesiam  servavit  et  servat,  &c.  Caranza  summa  cone. 
Const,  sess.  13.  distinguitur  a  Juristis,  ipsa  primativa  ecclesia  in  pri- 
mam  et  secundam. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


37 


disputes  with  us,  when  the  fathers  make  against  them;1 
and,  thus,  while  they  profess  that  they  honour  the 
fathers,  they  do  but  mock  them,  sometimes  putting 
upon  them  the  purple  robe  of  authority,  and  at  their 
pleasure  pulling  it  off  again.  Next,  they  forget  them¬ 
selves  in  this,  that  albeit  they  know  that  the  witness 
and  not  the  testimony,  is  to  be  believed,  they  allege, 
notwithstanding,  some  counterfeit,  some  corrupted 
authors,  and  some  late  schoolmen,2  for  the  ancient 
fathers,  against  us.  Becanus,  Calvin,  Beza,  Mar¬ 
tyr,  Juell,  &c.,  bring  them  against  the  papists,  who 
deny  not  their  authority.  And,  thirdly ,  they  disre¬ 
gard  the  order  of  divine  dispensation  in  the  course  of 
time,  not  without  ingratitude  to  God  for  his  gifts,  and 
to  good  men  for  their  labours,  by  preferring  the  mean¬ 
est,  that  carrie.th  the  name  of  antiquity,3  unto  the  wor¬ 
thiest  instruments  of  that  blessed  work  of  Reforma¬ 
tion,  who  had,  above  all  that  went  before  them,  many 

1  Whitgiftus,  Socratem  Novatianum  et  Puritanum  vocat.  Saravia 
contra  Bez.  dicit  Hieronimum  aperte  Arianum  esse,  Dounamus  contra 
omnes  patres,  negat  Petrum  Romse  episcopum  fuisse,  &c. 

2  Quales  sunt,  auctor  libri,  qui  canones  Apostolorura  inscribitur, 
Clemens,  Romanus,  Ignatius,  Dyonisius,  Areopagita,  Egesippus,  Do- 
rotheus,  &c.  De  quibus,  Mortonus  contra  pontificios,  Larvati  isti 
auctores  pueris  terriculamento  esse  possunt,  viris  autem  cordatis, 
esse  ludibrio  debent. 

3  Vitium  malignitatis  humanee,  ut  vetera  semper  in  laude,  prce- 
sentia  sint  in  fastidio.  Tacit.  Miraturque  nihil,  nisi  quod  Libitina 
sacravit.  Horat.  Nec  nos  sumus  nani,  nec  illi  gigantes,  sed  omnes 
ejusdem  statures,  et  quidem  nos  altius  evecti,  eorum  beneficio,  maneat 
modo  in  nobis  quod  in  illis  studium,  attentio  animi,  vigilanti®  et 
amor  veri,  quee  si  absint,  jam  non  nani  sumus,  nec  in  gigantum  hu- 
meros  sedemus,  sed  homines  instar  magnitudinis  humi  prostrati. 
Ludov.  vivis  de  causis  corrup.  art.  lib.  1. 


38 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


great  helps  of  the  languages  of  human  literature  and 
of  printing,  and  to  whom  many  secrets  were  made 
known  by  the  accomplishment  of  prophecies,  espe¬ 
cially  concerning  the  antichrist,  who,  being  conceived 
in  the  apostles’  times,  was  brought  forth  and  brought 
up  unwittingly  by  the  fathers,  who  looked  for  the  anti¬ 
christ  from  another  quarter,  which  maketh  them  to  be 
incompetent  judges  in  the  matter  of  hierarchy  and 
ceremonies  thereof.  The  Romanists  themselves,  who 
profess  to  be  the  greatest  favourers  of  the  ancient 
fathers,  are  forced  to  blush  at  many  of  their  gross 
and  shameful  absurdities,  and  to  confess,  that  many 
things  that  were  of  old  either  doubtful  or  altogether 
unknown,  are  now  to  the  meanest  become  clear  and 
certain.  Some  of  them  have  exploded  it  as  an  imper¬ 
tinent  similitude,  that  we,  being  compared  to  the  an¬ 
cients,  are  as  dwarfs  upon  the  shoulders  of  giants. 
The  other  thing  that  we  would  have  the  studious 
reader  to  take  notice  of  is  this,  that  of  the  prelates  and 
maintainers  of  conformity  seeking  the  fountain  of  an¬ 
tiquity,  and  uncertain  where  to  find  it,  some  go  back  to 
the  Old  Testament,  to  bring  the  prelate’s  pedigree  from 
thence;  some  would  bring  his  descent  from  Christ; 
some  from  the  apostles;  and  a  fourth  sort  from  the  pri¬ 
mitive  kirk.  But  before  they  get  a  sight  of  their  own 
prelate  in  his  pomp,  in  his  power,  and  in  his  busk  of 
ceremonies,  they  must  go  farther  down  the  stream,  till 
they  come  in  sight  of  the  antichrist,  and  there  they 
shall  see  him  not  far  off,  waiting  on,  as  may  be  appa¬ 
rent  by  this  which  followeth: — 

1.  The  Pastor  acknowledgeth  the  difference  of  the 

kirk  and  ministry  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments; 

% 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


39 


seeketh  neither  type  nor  pattern  of  his  office  from  the 
Levitical  priesthood,  but  bringeth  his  oldest  warrant 
from  Christ  and  his  apostles,  and  exponeth  the  an¬ 
cients,  as  Jerome  and  others,  who  insist  on  the  simili¬ 
tude  of  the  ministers  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,1 
as  speaking  by  the  way  of  allusion,  and  not  from  any 
warrant  of  divine  translation. 

The  Prelate,  searching  the  fountains  of  Nilus, 
would  bring  his  descent  as  high  as  from  Levi,  as  if 
the  chief  priests,  who  had  no  episcopal  authority  over 
their  brethren,  were  turned  now  into  prelates;  the 
inferior  priests  into  pastors;  and  the  Levites,  who  had 
no  proper  care  of  the  poor,  were  changed  into  our 
deacons.  He  bringeth  the  ancients  to  reckon  this 
genealogy,  but  with  such  success  as  the  sons  of  Ha- 
baiah  had,  when  they  failed  in  reckoning  their  line 
from  Aaron,  and  so  proved  unworthy  of  the  priest¬ 
hood,  Neliem.  vii.  63,  64. 

2.  The  Pastor  hath  an  ordinary  and  perpetual 
office  appointed  by  Christ,  but  the  office  of  the  apostle 
and  evangelist  was  extraordinary,  and  to  continue  but 
for  a  time.  So  that  howsoever  antiquity  useth  the 
words  of  apostle  and  bishop  amply,  calling  the  apos¬ 
tles  bishops,  and  bishops  or  pastors  apostles,  and  suc¬ 
cessors  to  the  apostles,  yet  neither  is  the  one  kind  of 
office  compatible  with  the  other,  nor  can  the  one  pro¬ 
perly  be  said  to  succeed  the  other,  so  different  are 
they,  as  well  in  respect  of  charge  as  of  gifts  and  dis¬ 
charge  of  duty;2  for  the  superior  doth  not  only  do 

1  Mutato  sacerdotio  mutatur  et  lex.  Ileb.  vii.  12.  Ex  figura  com- 
muni,  sine  exemplo,  nihil  concludi  necessario  potest.  Jun.  de  pontif. 

2  Apost.  et  evang.  primum  officia,  deinde  duo  extraordinaria,  sig- 


40 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


that  which  the  inferior  may  not  do,  but  his  manner  of 
doing  of  that  which  is  common  to  both,  is  far  higher 
and  more  eminent. 

The  Prelate,  repelled  by  the  office-bearers  of  the 
Old  Testament,  seeketh  to  enter  with  his  directive 
power  and  jurisdiction  among  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  but  with  like  success.  For  a  pastor  and  doc¬ 
tor,  his  power  over  pastors  and  doctors  suffereth  them 
not  to  be.  He  urgeth  to  be  taken  in  with  the  apostle 
or  evangelist,  and  to  be  esteemed  successor  to  them,1 
but  his  office  and  theirs  is  not  compatible;  for  for¬ 
merly  their  office  was  extraordinary  and  without  suc¬ 
cession,  and  materially  his  office  is  not  contained  in 
their  offices,  as  is  the  office  of  a  pastor ;  there  being 
no  example  in  Scripture,  without  the  office  of  apostle 
or  evangelist,  of  such  power  as  the  prelate  claimeth. 
Whether  his  life  and  form  of  ministration  be  apostoli¬ 
cal,  all  that  know  him  may  discern. 

3.  The  Pastor,  and  not  the  prelate,  is  the  first 
minister  (by  the  prelate’s  own  confession)  whom  the 
apostles  appointed  in  kirks  when  they  first  planted 
them.  The  pastor,  and  not  the  prelate,  is  the  minister 
whom  the  apostles  in  their  time  did  approve ;  and  the 
pastor,  and  not  the  prelate,  is  the  last  minister  to  whom 
the  apostles,  when  they  were  to  remove,  or  were  near 
unto  death,  did  recommend  the  care  of  the  kirks ;  and 

nificant  officium  apostoli  et  evang.  continet  in  se  officium  presbyteri 
eminenter,  sed  non  formaliter,  officium  autem  episcopi  hierarchici, 
nec  eminenter,  quia  non  datur  episcopatus  extra  apostolatum,  quern 
contineat  eminenter,  sicut  datur  presbyteratus. 

i  In  gradum  nemo  successit  apostolis  et  evang.  in  caput  succedunt 
pastores  ordinarii. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  41 

therefore  the  pastor,  and  not  the  prelate,  is  the  minis¬ 
ter  warranted  by  the  apostles. 

The  Prelate,  denied  of  Christ,  would  father  him¬ 
self  upon  the  apostles,  and  finding  no  warrant  from 
their  doctrine  or  practice  in  Scripture,  albeit  the  Acts 
of  the  apostles  contain  the  history  of  many  years  after 
Christ’s  ascension,  he  seemeth  to  be  sure  of  the  eccle¬ 
siastical  history  recorded  in  the  apostles’  times,1  and 
by  apostolic  institution,  a  begun  succession  of  bishops 
in  Jerusalem,  Rome,  Alexandria,  Antioch,  &c.  But 
here  also  he  standeth  without,  because  the  bishops  of 
those  places  were  either  apostles,  and  therefore  could 
not  be  properly  bishops,  or  else  ordinary  pastors,  of 
no  greater  place  nor  power,  except  for  age  and  gift, 
than  other  presbyters  labouring  with  them.  Such 
were  Linus,  Clemens,  Cletus,  Anacletus, — fellow- 
presbyters  at  Rome  at  one  time, — one  of  them  living 
some  space  after  another;  and,  to  show  the  order  of 
succession  from  the  apostles  again'st  heretics  who 
urged  it,  they  were  numbered  as  if  they  had  not  lived 
at  one  time ;  and  in  the  line  of  succession  were  called 
bishops  by  Eusebius,  and  others  after  him,  agreeable 
to  the  corruption  of  their  own  times,2  when  now  men 
had,  of  their  own  head,  put  a  difference  betwixt  a 
bisbop  and  a  pastor,  and  not  according  to  the  purity 

1  Intervallum  illud  ab  ult.  c.  Act.  apost.  ad  medium,  Trajani  impe- 
rium  plane  cum  Varrone  olS»\gv  vocari  potest.  Joseph.  Scalig.  pro- 
legom.  in  Chronicon  Eusebii. 

2  Ut  hiatum  expleret  Euseb.  at  rav  umQicncev,  dementis  nescio  cujus 

(non  est  enim  ille  eruditus  Alexandrinus  o  a-^^ty.a.'xiuz)  me 

mnciCtChcu  Ilegesippi,  non  melioris  scriptoris  sine  delectu,  ea  depromp- 
sit.  Idem. 


3 


42 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


of  the  primitive  times,  of  which  they  did  write,  when 
a  pastor  and  a  bishop  was  one  and  the  same. 

4.  The  Pastor  is  the  divine  and  apostolic  bishop, 
of  the  lawfulness  of  whose  calling  and  power  in  the 
primitive  kirk,  after  the  apostles,  there  was  no  ques¬ 
tion.  The  pastor  by  consent  of  antiquity,  (when  now, 
by  human  wisdom,  the  constant  moderator  was 
brought  in  and  called  the  bishop)  had  right  and  power, 
not  by  grant,  but  by  his  office,  not  only  to  preach  the 
word,  minister  the  sacraments,  and  use  the  keys  in 
binding  and  loosing  the  conscience,  but  also,  with 
the  fellow-presbyters,  to  ordain  ministers;1  and  in 
the  presbyterial,  provincial,  and  national  assemblies, 
to  decide  controversies,  to  make  constitutions,  to  in  • 
diet  censures,  even  upon  bishops,  and,  by  his  pastoral 
authority,  to  do  all  things  necessary  for  the  edification 
of  the  kirk;  and  this  right  and  power,  that  God  gave 
him,  he  maintained  in  some  kirks  in  the  most  corrupt 
times,  when  now1  antichrist  was  set  in  his  chair,  and 
prelacy,  for  the  most  part,  of  human  was  become  sa- 
tanical. 

The  Prelate,  holden  at  the  door  by  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  after  their  times,  by  the  ambition  of  some 
pastors  and  simplicity  of  others,2  when  he  had  long 

1  Who  dare  condemn  all  those  worthy  ministers  of  God  that  were 
never  ordained  by  presbyters,  in  sundry  kirks  of  the  world,  at  such 
times  as  bishops,  in  those  parts  where  they  lived,  opposed  themselves 
against  the  truth  of  God.  Field,  book  iii,  cap.  39. 

2  Paulatim  quamvis  patribus  nihil  minus  cogitantibus,  gradui  epis- 
copali  aditus  humanitus  apertus,  per  quern  mox  ingressa  ambitio,  gra- 
dum  istum  initio  quidem  in  Oligarchiam,  ac  tandem  in  horrendam 
illam  Antichristianam  tyrannidem  cecumenicam  evexit,  baud  satis  scio 
an  unquam  abolendam  nisi  semel  sublatis  quibus  eo  ascendit  gradibus, 
in  ordinem  divinre  institutionis  redigatur.  Beza  de  grad.  cap.  23. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


43 


hung  on,  got  in  the  foot  to  be  constant  moderator ;  but 
not  finding  entry  at  the  first  for  his  great  head,  made 
up  of  sole  ordination,  of  monarchial  jurisdiction,  of 
civil  power,  worldly  pomp  and  superstitious  ceremo¬ 
nies,  he  hideth  his  mitre  in  the  mystery  of  iniquity, 
going  on  with  it  foot  for  foot,  and  draweth  in,  by  fraud 
and  force,  one  limb  after  another,  till  at  last,  after 
many  ages  and  much  working  (for  he  attained  not  to 
the  degree  of  an  archbishop  till  after  the  Council  of 
Nice,)  he  showeth  himself  lord  in  the  house  of  God, 
having  no  more  of  the  first  institution  of  a  bishop,  than 
the  ship  Argo  had  of  her  first  building-,  when,  after 
her  expedition,  she  had  lain  at  a  full  sea  some  hun¬ 
dreds  of  years,  or  the  beggar’s  cloak,  patched  with 
many  clouts  and  colours,  that  hath  passed  through 
some  generations,  which  he,  it  may  be,  makes  more 
of  than  of  a  parliament  robe  of  the  first  shaping. 

5.  The  Pastor,  as  became  the  humble  servant  of 
Christ  and  a  minister  of  the  New  Testament,  procured 
and  maintained  the  dignity  and  true  honor  of  his  min¬ 
istry,  by  holding  forth  the  glorious  light  of  the  gospel 
in  his  doctrine,  and  the  shining  light  of  holiness  in  his 
conversation ;  esteeming  the  preaching  of  the  glad 
tidings  of  peace  to  be  the  beauty  of  ministers,  and 
righteousness  their  robe  and  ornament. 

The  Prelate  took  him  to  the  contrary  course  for 
his  credit,  and  transformed  the  beautiful  simplicity  of 
Christ’s  kingdom  into  the  glory  of  the  kingdom  of 
the  world.  Albeit  when  he  was  of  his  old  stamp  his 
greatest  dignity  was  his  chair,  and  faithful  teaching 
the  flower  of  his  garland,  yet  now,  degenerating  from 
his  first  sincerity,  and  being  infected  with  secular 


44 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


smoke,  he  came  to  be  cast  in  the  mould  of  the  first 
beast.  His  chair  gave  place  to  his  consistory  and 
throne.  His  jurisdiction  and  government,  honoured 
with  the  title  of  pre-eminence,  carried  all  the  credit. 
Teaching,  as  abase  work,  was  given  over  to  the  petty 
presbyters,  and  every  office  in  the  kirk  was  counted  a 
dignity  worthy  of  honour,  less  or  more,  as  it  had  more 
or  less  jurisdiction  annexed;  as  those  are  more  or  less 
honourable  in  the  commonwealth,  that  have  more  or 
less  civil  authority ;  and  thus  prelacy  came  up,  and 
preaching  came  down,  and  the  kirk  became  more 
worldly  than  the  world  itself. 

6.  The  Pastor,  when  all  was  going  wrong,  some 
raising  contentions,  others  gaping  after  honours,  the 
brains  of  many  being  big  with  heresies,  all  given  to 
heap  up  superstition  and  atheism ;  and  the  prelate, 
with  his  popish  hierarchy,  possessing  both  the  holy 
city  and  outward  court,  he  then  gave  testimony  to 
the  truth,  kept  still  the  temple,  and,  within  the  temple, 
kept  in  the  light,  as  two  olive  trees  growing  up  by  the 
sides  of  the  candlestick,  and  dropping  down  from  the 
branches  oil  into  the  lamps,  for  the  comfort  of  such 
as  Jehovah-Shammah  had  chosen  for  life,  and  would 
save  from  the  deluge  of  defection. 

The  Prelate,  once  possessed  into  the  kirk,  never 
ceased  till  he  had  changed  the  kirk  into  a  court ; 
power  ecclesiastical  into  civil  policy  ;  the  Scripture 
into  tradition;  the  truth  into  heresy;  sincerity  into 
superstition  ;  the  worship  of  God  into  idolatry — as  the 
worship  of  images,  saints  and  bread- worship ;  the 
pure  ordinances  of  God  into  masses,  altars,  images, 
garments,  fasting,  and  follies  of  Paganism  and  Judaism, 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


45 


like  a  smoke  out  of  the  bottomless  pit,  growing 
grosser  and  thicker  every  day ;  and,  in  the  midst  of 
the  mist,  built  up  his  greatness  upon  the  ruins  not  only 
of  the  kirks,  but  of  the  commonwealths  of  the  world; 
for  when  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  into  the  earth,  the 
mountains  and  islands  were  moved  out  of  their  places ; 
and  as  this  unhappy  milt  swelled  big  in  the  body, 
with  wealth  and  honour,  the  life  of  religion  became 
faint,  the  princes  and  nobles  of  the  earth,  like  the  no¬ 
ble  parts  in  the  body,  decayed,  and  the  meaner  ones, 
like  the  hands  and  feet,  withered  away.  The  Pope’s 
felicity  was  the  whole  world’s  misery,  and  so  was  the 
prelate’s  to  several  nations  and  provinces. 

7.  The  Pastor,  and  with  him  the  godly  of  the 
time,  wearied  with  long  opposition,  poured  out  their 
heavy  complaints,  that  the  grief  of  the  kirk  was  more 
bitter  in  peace  than  either  under  persecution  or 
heresy:1  that  she  had  brought  up  and  exalted  her 
sons,  and  they  had  despised  her.  If  a  professed  here¬ 
tic  should  arise,  she  could  cast  him  forth  of  her  bosom; 
if  a  violent  enemy,  she  could  hide  herself  from  him  ; 
but  now,  whom  could  the  kirk  cast  out,  or  from  whom 
shall  she  hide  herself?  All  are  friends,  and  yet  all 
are  enemies ;  all  are  domestics,  and  yet  none  seek  her 
true  peace,  for  all  seek  their  own  things,  and  not  the 
things  of  Jesus  Christ.  They  are  the  ministers  of 
Christ,  and  serve  the  antichrist.  He  complaineth  that 
devotion  had  brought  forth  riches,  and  the  mother 

l  Ecce  in  pace  amaritudo  mea  amarissima,  amara  prius  in  ncce 
martyrum,  amarior  post  in  conflictu  hereticorum,  amarissima  nunc  in 
moribus  domesticorum,  &c.  Bern,  super.  Cant. 


46 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


had  devoured  her  daughter  :*  that  of  old  the  bishops 
were  of  gold,  and  the  cups  of  wood,  but  now  the 
bishops  have  changed  their  metal  with  the  cups  :1 2  that 
of  old,  Christians  had  dark  kirks  but  lightsome  hearts; 
but  now,  lightsome  kirks  and  dark  hearts:3  that  the 
prelates  inquired  what  rent  the  bishopric  rendered, 
and  not  how  many  souls  were  to  be  fed  in  it:  that 
their  bodies  were  clad  with  purple  and  silk,  but 
they  had  threadbare  consciences:  that  their  care  was 
greater  to  empty  men’s  purses  than  to  extirpate  their 
vices:  that  when  they  consecrate  a  prelate,  they  kill  a 
good  man  by  advancing  him :  that  no  greater  evil 
could  be  wished  to  any  man,  than  that  he  be  made 
Pope:  that  in  the  estate  of  the  kirk,  heaven  is  below 
and  earth  is  above ;  the  spirit  obeyeth,  and  the  flesh 
commanded! :  that  in  the  mouths  of  the  prelates  was 
the  law  of  vanity,  and  not  the  law  of  verity;  and  that 
the  lips  of  the  priests  under  them,  kept  secular,  and 
not  spiritual  knowledge ;  and  when  he  searched  the 
causes  of  the  kirk’s  misery,  he  condescended  upon  the 
neglecting  of  Scripture,  and  multiplication  of  men’s 
inventions;  the  ignorance  and  idleness  of  prelates, 
like  dumb  dogs  that  could  not  bark, — their  covetous¬ 
ness  above  the  Pharisees’.  They  suffered  doves  to  be 
sold  in  the  temple,  but  these  sell  both  kirk  and  sacri¬ 
fice.  Their  pride  and  ambition  declared  in  their  great 

1  Devotio  peperit  divitias,  et  filia  devoravit  matrem.  Bern,  super. 
Cant. 

2  Olim  fuerunt  lignei  calices,  et  aurei  sacerdotes:  nunc  contra 
sunt  aurei  calices  et  lignei  sacerdotes,  vulgo  jactitatum. 

3  Olim  habuisse  Christianos  obscura  templa,  sed  lucida  corda: 
nunc  contra  habere  lucida  templa  sed  obscura  corda.  Et  sequentia. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


47 


horses,  and  other  superfluous  pomp,  and  that,  as  sons 
of  Belial,  they  have  cast  off  the  yoke,  not  enduring 
that  any  should  ask  them,  why  they  do  so  and  so :  the 
unequal  proportion  seen  in  the  kirk,  when  one  is  hun¬ 
gry  and  another  drunk;  some  so  enormously  overgone 
in  riches  and  pomp,  that  the  weakness  of  the  rest  is 
not  able  to  bear  them. 

The  Prelate,  still  mad  of  avarice  and  ambition, 
stood  upon  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  holding  the 
four  winds  of  the  earth  that  they  should  not  blow, 
and  opposed  himself  against  the  doctrine  and  com¬ 
plaint  of  the  pastors, — -condemning  them  for  heretics, 
giving  out  against  them  decrees  of  corrupt  councils, 
thundering  them  with  anathematisms,  and  persecuting 
them  by  fire  and  sword.  He  punished  the  clergy 
under  him  more  severely  for  the  neglect  of  a  ceremo¬ 
ny  than  for  sacrilege  or  adultery;  and  finally,  lest  his 
fraud  and  falsehood  should  be  known,  he  forbade  all 
men  the  reading  and  using  of  the  holy  Scriptures. 

8.  The  Pastor,  and  all  good  men  that  longed  and 
laboured  for  the  Reformation  of  the  Christian  kirk,  for 
the  space  of  five  hundred  years,  as  the  Waldenses, 
Marsilius  Patavinus,  Wickliffe  and  his  scholars,  Husse 
and  his  followers,  and  all  such  as  the  Lord  used  for 
instruments  in  working  the  Reformation,  as  Luther, 
Calvin,  Brentius,  Bullingerus,  Musculus,  &c.,  did  teach 
that  all  pastors  are  of  equal  authority  by  the  word  of 
God,  and  all  that  space  of  time  urged  this  point  of 
reformation,  as  without  which  no  success  could  be 
expected  in  the  reformation  of  the  doctrine  and  wor¬ 
ship.1 

i  Dr.  Reynold’s  letter  to  Sir  Francis  Knowles,  concerning  Dr. 
Bancroft’s  sermon,  1588,  maketh  this  clear. 


48 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


The  Prelate  knowing  (as  it  was  often  preached 
and  written  all  that  time  of  five  hundred  years)  that 
the  main  cause  of  the  corruptions  of  the  kirk  was  his 
own  place,  his  pride,  and  his  avarice,  and  that  the 
desired  and  urged  reformation  of  the  kirk,  which  was 
now  brought  to  that  pass,  that  as  one  says  well,  she 
could  neither  bear  her  own  disease  nor  yet  suffer 
remedy,  behoved  to  begin  at  himself,  the  greatest  bile 
in  all  the  body,  by  all  means  held  off  reformation  as 
his  own  ruin;  and  when  several  nations  were  bring¬ 
ing  it  about,  he  could  never  be  moved  to  give  his  con¬ 
sent,  so  dear  was  his  mitre  and  belly  unto  him. 

The  Prelate’s  objection. — The  Prelate  will  con¬ 
fess,  that  it  were  better  to  have  no  bishops  than  such 
monsters  as  the  Roman  kirk  brought  forth,  but  prideth 
himself  in  antiquity,  and  affirmeth  that  the  Christian 
kirk  in  all  places,  for  the  space  of  three  hundred  years 
after  Christ  and  his  apostles,  had  bishops  in  every 
thing  like  himself,  and  that  afterwards  the  shepherds 
became  wolves. 

The  Pastor’s  answer. — That  which  Tertullian  in 
his  time  said  unto  the  Gentiles,  may  be  replied  to  our 
prelates, — “  Ye  boast  of  antiquity,  but  your  daily  life 
is  after  the  new  fashion.”  Mr.  Phantastico  at  Athens, 
whensoever  he  perceived  any  ships  entering  into  the 
harbour,  strongly  apprehended  that  they  were  his  own, 
and  used  to  seize  upon  them,  as  if  they  had  been  his 
own  indeed.  So  deal  our  prelates  with  the  ancient 
bishops,  they  come  no  sooner  in  their  sight,  but  they 
take  them  for  their  own,  albeit  they  be  very  unlike 
unto  them,  for  were  they  living,  they ‘would  blush  and 
be  ashamed  that  such  should  be  called  their  succes¬ 
sors;  as  Angelo,  the  famous  Italian  painter,  pourtray- 


THE  PASTOK  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


49 


ed  Peter  and  Paul,  for  the  use  of  a  cardinal  at  Rome, 
with  red  and  high-coloured  faces,  showing  thereby, 
that  if  they  were  living,  they  would  blush  at  the 
pomp  and  pride  of  the  prelates  of  that  time.  Our 
prelates  are  rather  of  the  late  Roman  cut,  and  not  so 
like  unto  the  primitive  as  unto  the  popish  bishops, 
who,  comparing  themselves  with  others  before,  and 
ours  now  come  after  them,  might  say  with  the  poet:1 

Our  parent’s  age,  worse  than  their  predecessors, 

Hath  brought  us  forth  more  wicked,  their  successors; 

Ere  it  be  long,  if  we  continue  thus, 

We  will  bring  forth  a  brood  more  vicious. 

1st,  For  the  primitive  bishops  (after  that  the  name 
of  bishop,  common  to  all  pastors,  began  to  be  inap¬ 
propriate)  were  neither  ordained  by  bishops  nor  me¬ 
tropolitans,  but  only  chosen  by  pastors,  to  be  their 
constant  moderators,  or  perpetual  presidents,  but  with¬ 
out  warrant  from  God  or  his  truth.2 

1  iEtas  parentum,  pejor  avis  tulit  nos  nequiores,  mox  daturus  pro- 
geniem  vitiosiorem.  Ilorat. 

2  Ex  his  Ambrosii  et  Hieronimi  constat  primum,  in  ipsis  ecclesioe 
primordiis  nullos  tales  episcopos  fuisse,  quales  postea  instituti  fuere, 
scilicet  qui  suo  jure  reliquis  e  clero  praeessent;  unde  colligitur  et  non 
esse  id  ipsum  a  Christo,  et  apostolis  institutum :  et  (quando  quidem 
in  eccl.  id  sit  optimum  quod  primum)  ecclesise  fore  consultius,  ut 
omnes  presbyteri  pari  censerentur  et  jure  et  gradu.  Secundo  constat 
ne  turn  quidem,  cum  hie  episcoporum  a  presbyteris  distinctorum  ordo, 
sive  gradus  est  constitutus,  fuisse  episcopos  tamquam  monarchos,  &c. 
Chamier  de  cecumen.  pontif.  lib.  18,  cap.  5,  sect.  6.  Respondeo  patrum 
auctoritatem  nihil  eflicere,  ratio,  quia  non  ostendunt  nullum  unquam 
tempus  extitisse  cum  essent  episcopi  pares  presbyteris,  sed  tantum 
ineequalitatem  esse  vetustissimam,  ac  vicinam  apostolorum  tempori- 
bus,  quod  nos  ultro  fatemur.  Idem  Chamier,  lib.  10,  cap.  6,  sect.  24. 


50 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


Our  prelate  must  first,  by  a  simulate  form  of  elec¬ 
tion,  be  made  my  lord  elect,  and  then  receive  a  new 
consecration,  with  a  new  guise  of  ceremonies  drawn 
from  the  Roman  pontifical,  as  little  known  to  pure 
antiquity  as  the  words  themselves  of  ordination,  con¬ 
secration,  &c. 

2d,  The  primitive  bishops,  looking  more  to  the 
beauty  than  dignity,  suffered  violence,  and  were  con¬ 
strained,  by  pastors  and  people,  whether  they  would 
or  not,  to  receive  the  charge. 

Our  prelate,  when  the  bishop  is  an  old  man,  then 
he  standeth  diligently  and  learneth  fast,  but  only  how 
to  make  credit  at  court,  and  when  after  long  expecta¬ 
tion  the  place  is  void,  by  posting,  promising,  and  pro- 
pining,  he  procureth  himself  to  be  chosen,  first  with¬ 
out  the  knowledge,  and  then  against  the  will  both  of 
pastors  and  people. 

3d,  The  primitive  bishops  knew  not  such  a  creature 
as  was  designed  afterwards  by  the  proud  name  of  an 
archbishop,  who  should  be  a  bishop  of  bishops,  hav¬ 
ing  power  over  comprovincial  bishops,  his  suffragans. 

Our  prelate  prideth  himself  in  this  proud  title,  and 
will  have  one  and  the  same  creature  to  be  metropoli¬ 
tan  archbishop  and  primate,  that  what  he  may  not  do 
as  metropolitan,  he  may  do  as  archbishop,  and  what 
he  may  not  as  archbishop,  he  may  as  primate,  and  as 
another  pope. 

4th,  The  primitive  bishop  was  in  the  presbytery, 
like  the  consul  in  the  senate, — as  first  among  the  pres¬ 
byters,  he  moderated  in  their  meetings,  reported  mat¬ 
ters  previously  done,  and  asked  the  voters  what  they 
concluded:  he  saw  it  executed  upon  others,  and  was 
subject  to  it  himself. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


51 


Our  prelate,  in  the  presbytery,  will  be  like  a  king 
in  his  council,  and  thinketb  his  authority  no  less  with¬ 
out  the  presbytery  than  with  it;  and  what  the  synod 
may  do  with  the  archbishop,  that  he  may  do  without 
the  synod. 

if 

5th,  The  primitive  bishops  dwelt  so  near  together, 
that  six  of  them  convened  in  a  cause  that  concerned 
an  elder,  and  three  for  a  deacon.  In  a  synod  they 
convened  in  great  numbers.  Privatus  whs  condemn¬ 
ed  by  ninety  bishops.  Against  Novatus  were  con¬ 
vened  eighty-four  bishops.  In  some  synods  two 
.hundred  and  seventeen;  in  some  two  hundred  and 
seventy. 

Our  prelate  spreadeth  his  wings  over  several  hun¬ 
dreds  of  kirks,  lying  in  divers  provinces,  wide  as  Merse, 
Lothian,  Fife,  Angus,  Mearns,  &c. 

As,  therefore,  our  prelate  was  shown  before  not  to 
be  the  Lord’s  bishop,  authorized  by  Scripture,  so  is  he 
not  man’s  bishop,  made  up  in  the  primitive  times  of 
the  kirk,  but  the  same  that  we  had  before  the  Reforma¬ 
tion,  the  same  with  the  Italian,  Spanish,  or  French 
prelate  under-  the  Pope,  and  the  same  with  the  anti- 
christian  prelates  in  the  most  corrupt  times  of  the  kirk, 
especially  the  last  five  hundred  years;  excepting  his 
subordination  to  the  Pope,  by  which  exception  our 
princely  prelate  is  made  greater  than  the  popish;  and 
what  was  written  of  the  popish  prelate  in  those  times, 
is  now  again  reverified  of  ours,  as  of  their  civil  offices 
and  advocations: 

Vintoniensis  armiger, 

Prccsidet  ad  scacarium; 

•  Ad  computandum  impiger, 


52 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


Piger  ad  evangelium. 

Sic  lucrum  Lucam  superat, 

Marcam  marco  prseponderat 
Et  libras  librum  subjicit. 

Some  bishops  metropolitan 
Preside  at  the  Exchequer ;  j 
For  counting  he’s  a  busy  man, 

To  preach  the  gospel  slacker. 

Lucre  worth  is  more  than  Luke, 

And  merks  than  Mark  weigh  better; 
lie  sets  the  pound  above  the  book, 

And  cares  not  for  the  matter. 

Of  their  zeal  in  urging  ceremonies  upon  others, 
while  they  failed  in  substance  themselves,  the  old 
poem  called  Asini  Paenitentiarius,  wherein  the  wolf 
confesseth  himself  to  the  fox;  and  the  fox  to  the  wolf, 
and  both  are  absolved ;  but  the  poor  ass,  trusting  to 
his  innocence  for  absolution,  was  condemned  to  die 
by  the  other  two,  for  no  other  cause  but  that,  in  his 
extreme  hunger,  he  had  been  so  profane  as  to  eat  the 
straw  garters  of  a  religious  pilgrim. 

Immensum  scelus  est  injuria,  quam  perigrino 
Fecisti:  stramen  surripiendo  sibi. 

Non  advertisti,  quod  plura  pericula  passus, 

Plurima  passurus,  quod  peregrinus  erat? 

Non  advertisti,  quod  ei  per  maxima  terrre 
Et  pelagi  spatia  sit  peragranda  via  ? 

Totius  ecclesiee  fuerit  cum  nuncius  iste, 

Pertulit  abstracto  stramine  damna  Vise. 

Cum  sis  confessus,  cum  sis  convictus,  habes  ne 
Quo  tales  noxas  occuluisse  queas  ? 

Es  fur,  ignoto  cum  feceris  hoc  peregrino : 

Scis  bene,  fur  quali  dcbet  honorc  mori. 

How  great  a  sin  were  this  to  Jhee 
A  pilgrim  poor  to  wrong ; 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


53 


Hadst  thou  not  mind  what  dangers  he 
Had  travelled  far  among  ? 

Couldst  thou  not  think  that  he,  dull  ass, 
B’hov’d  pass  through  sea  and  land ; 
That  nunce  of  holy  kirk  he  was, 
Running  at  their  command. 

Thou  hast  confess’d,  convinced  thou  art, 
Nothing  thy  crime  can  hide  ; 

Thief,  thou  didst  eat  his  straw  garters, 
Death  shall  thee  now  betide. 


PART  III. 

THE  PASTOR  AND  PRELATE  COMPARED  IN  THEIR  JUDGMENT  AND  PRAC¬ 
TICE  ABOUT  THINGS  INDIFFERENT. 

Many  controversies  and  contentions  about  things  indifferent. — The 
pastor  resteth  not  in  the  estate  of  a  kirk  that  is  indifferently  good, 
but  would  be  at  further  reformation ;  the  prelate  inclineth  to  defec¬ 
tion. — The  pastor  thinketh  not  that  indifferent  which  doth  good  or 
evil  to  the  people’s  souls ;  the  prelate  accounteth  that  indifferent 
which  doth  neither  good  nor  evil  to  his  worldly  estate. — The  pastor 
thinketh  nothing  indifferent  that  is  warranted  by  the  word;  the 
prelate  every  thing  that  is  not  fundamental. — The  pastor  findeth 
the  direction  for  ceremonies  to  be  as  perfect  under  the  gospel  as  it 
was  under  the  law ;  but  the  prelate  addeth  unto  it  as  if  it  were  im¬ 
perfect. — The  pastor  appointeth  no  new  thing  in  the  worship  of 
God ;  but  the  prelate  is  a  new  lawgiver. — The  pastor  is  so  far 
limited  that  he  thinketh  nothing  to  be  in  use  indifferent ;  but  the 
prelate  accounteth  that  to  be  preciseness  and  puritanism. — The 
pastor  feareth  to  give  offence  in  things  indifferent;  but  the  prelate 
is  bold  and  scandalous. — Objection ,  None  but  puritans  are  precise 
in  matters  indifferent. — Answer ,  Distinguishing  between  two  sorts 
of  precisians  or  puritans. 

Besides  the  speculations  of  the  schoolmen,  divided 
amongst  themselves  in  their  subtleties  about  things 
indifferent,  which  work  mightily  upon  men’s  wits,  but 
more  weakly  upon  their  affections  than  to  make  any 
great  division,  there  hath  been  much  ado  in  the  kirk 
since  the  beginning  about  adiaphorisms  and  things 
indifferent.  First ,  In  the  infancy  of  the  Christian 
kirk  the  heat  and  the  contention  was  great  betwixt 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


55 


the  converted  Jews  and  Gentiles,  about  the  keeping 
of  the  ceremonies  of  the  law,  which  before  were  com¬ 
manded,  afterwards  were  forbidden,  but  in  that  tract 
of  time  were  in  a  manner  indifferent,  concerning  which 
we  find  that  the  apostles  never  imposed  them  upon 
any  people  or  person  that  judged  them  unlawful,  that 
they  thought  that  every  man  should  be  persuaded  in 
his  own  mind,  and  should  do  nothing  against  or  with¬ 
out  the  warrant  of  his  conscience  ;  that  by  all  means 
scandal  should  be  avoided,  as  that  which  bringeth 
wo  upon  him  by  whom  it  cometh,  and  destruction 
upon  him  upon  whom  it  cometh;  and  many  such  rules 
of  conscience  and  Christian  prudence,  which  serve  to 
the  kirk  for  direction  in  matters  indifferent,  to  the 
coming  of  Christ.  Secondly ,  There  was  great  busi¬ 
ness  about  ceremonies,  and  things  called  indifferent, 
in  the  infancy  of  the  reformed  kirks,  in  the  time  of  the 
interim,  when,  with  so  great  power  and  persecution, 
the  Romish  corruptions  were  forced  again  upon  them, 
under  the  name  of  indifference.  At  that  time,  politics 
and  worldly  men,  more  careful  of  their  own  wealth 
than  of  God’s  truth,  gave  themselves  to  serve  the 
time,  and  received  all  that  was  obtruded  under  the 
said  cloak  of  indifference.  These  were  accounted 
friends  to  Augustus.  Others  of  great  gifts  and  esteem 
in  the  kirk  wished  from  their  hearts  that  these  cere¬ 
monies  had  never  been  urged,  yet  thought  it  a  less 
evil  to  admit  some  thing  in  the  external  part  of  God’s 
worship,  and  thereby  uniformity  in  religion  with  their 
enemies,  than  by  stoical  stiffness,  as  they  called  it,  and 
an  obstinacy  to  provoke  authority,  and  thereby  to 
bring  upon  themselves  banishment,  and  upon  kirk  and 


56 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


commonwealth  desolation.  Such  men,  looking  more 
to  unity  than  to  verity,  and  more  to  the  event  than  to 
their  own  duty,  were  called  prudent,  wise  and  peace¬ 
able  men.  A  third  sort,  setting  aside  all  sophistica¬ 
tion,  and  clashing  with  the  enemy,  taught  plainly  by 
word  and  writ  from  Scripture,  and  not  from  the 
grounds  of  policy,  that  when  any  part  of  God’s  wor¬ 
ship  is  in  danger,  that  then,  for  the  honour  of  God, 
confirmation  of  the  truth,  and  edification  of  the 
kirk,  confession  is  necessary.  “  He  that  confesseth 
not  me  ;”  “  He  that  is  ashamed  of  me  before  men,” 
&c.  They  taught  that  it  was  not  lawful  to  sym¬ 
bolize  with  the  enemy;  that  in  the  case  of  con¬ 
fession  the  smallest  ceremonies  are  not  indifferent; 
that  at  such  times  the  kirk  should  stand  fast  to  her 
liberty  against  such  as  would  bring  her  into  bondage; 
that  yielding  to  such  ceremonies  was  a  great  scandal, 
— it  being  a  returning  to  the  vomit,  the  patching  of 
an  old  clout  upon  a  new  garment, — and  making  the 
weak  to  think  that  the  reformation  of  the  kirk  was 
not  a  work  of  God,  but  of  man;  that  the  untimely 
change  of  ceremonies  was  a  show  of  defection  from 
the  whole  reformation;  that  when  the  enemy  urgeth 
uniformity,  his  intention  should  be  looked  to,  because 
he  never  rests,  but  proceeds  from  the  corruption  of 
outward  worship  to  corrupt  the  doctrine,  and  to  leave 
nothing  sound.  Men  that  taught  after  this  manner 
were  accounted,  by  the  former,  politicals,  and  by 
peaceable  formalists,  to  be  contentious  spirits  and 
troublers  of  the  peace  of  the  kirk.  Thirdly ,  Albeit 
the  reformed  kirks  agree  for  the  most  part  in  the  ge¬ 
neral  about  the  nature  and  use  of  things  indifferent, 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  57 

yet  they  go  far  asunder  in  the  application  of  the  gene¬ 
ral  to  their  particular  practices.  The  Lutheran  kirks 
hold  some  things  for  indifferent  which  the  kirk  of 
England  receiveth  not;  and  England  holdeth  a  multi¬ 
tude  of  ordinances  about  discipline  and  ceremonies 
for  indifferent  which  we  take  to  be  unlawful  and  be¬ 
side  the  word:  every  kirk  judging,  or  at  least  prac¬ 
tising,  according  to  their  own  measure  of  reformation. 
All  crept  not  forth  of  that  Roman  deluge  equally  ac¬ 
complished.  No  marvel  that  some  of  them  should 
smell  of  the  wine  of  fornication  wherewith  they  all 
for  so  many  years  were  drunk.  But  obstinacy  against 
the  incoming  light,  and  the  refusing  of  a  further  de¬ 
gree  of  reformation  is  fearful ;  what  is  it,  then,  to 
draw  others  back  from  the  reformation,  and  to  bind 
them  up  again  into  their  old  chain  of  darkness!  These 
manifold  contentions  about  things  indifferent,  and 
ceremonies,  have  proved  so  pernicious,  by  defacing  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  setting  up  the  tyranny  of  anti¬ 
christ,  dividing  pastors,  offending  people,  dismember¬ 
ing  the  kirk,  and  almost  putting  out  the  life  of  true 
piety,  that  we  may  truly  say,  Nothing  hath  proved 
less  indifferent  to  the  kirk  than  the  contentions  about 
things  indifferent ;  and  many  have  been  more  hot  for 
them  than  for  the  heart  of  true  religion,  because  they 
concern  the  face  of  the  kirk,  and,  as  Erasmus  said  in 
another  case,  “  the  crowns  and  bellies  of  kirkmen.” 
Whether  our  old  pastor  or  new  prelate  hath  here  the 
greatest  guiltiness  will  appear  by  this  little  that  fol¬ 
lowed! : 

1.  The  Pastor  ever  feareth  defection,  and  still 
urgetli  reformation,  till  every  thing  be  done  in  the 


58 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


house  of  God  according  to  the  will  of  God.  He  ac¬ 
counted!  the  constitution  of  a  kirk  that  is  but  indiffer¬ 
ently  good,  or  midway  betwixt  idolatry  and  reforma¬ 
tion,  to  be  but  like  the  lukewarmness  of  Laodicea. 

The  Prelate  pleaseth  himself  in  this,  that  there 
be  many  kirks  in  worse  case ;  he  resteth  in  his  indif¬ 
ference  and  lukewarmness,  and  rather  inclineth  down¬ 
ward  to  further  defection,  than  aimeth  at  any  higher 
reformation;  like  the  priests  of  Samaria,  that  were  as 
earnest  against  the  true  worship  at  Jerusalem,  as  they 
were  against  Baal  and  his  idolatry. 

2.  The  Pastor  looketh  not  to  the  world,  but  to 
religion,  in  matters  of  religion,  and  therefore  thinketh 
not  that  indifferent  in  religion,  which  bringeth  spiritual 
good  or  evil  upon  the  kirk  and  the  souls  of  the  people, 
albeit  that  in  their  worldly  estate  it  doth  them  neither 
good  nor  evil. 

The  Prelate  esteemeth  many  things  indifferent  in 
religion,  because  they  bring  neither  good  nor  evil  to 
his  worldly  estate,  albeit  they  do  good  or  evil  to  the 
kirk,  and  to  the  souls  of  the  people,  and  looketh  more 
to  the  world  than  to  religion  in  matters  of  religion. 

3.  The  Pastor  acknowledgeth  three  degrees  of 
matters  of  faith ;  some  to  be  of  the  foundation  and 
first  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  faith  ;  some  to  be 
near  the  foundation,  as  the  conclusions  clearly  follow¬ 
ing  upon  the  former ;  and  the  third  to  be  of  all  other 
matters  warranted  by  the  word;  and  what  is  of  this 
third  rank,  were  it  never  so  far  from  the  foundation, 
and  never  so  small  in  our  eyes,  not  to  be  a  matter 
indifferent,  but  to  bind  the  conscience,  and  to  be  a 
matter  of  faith. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


59 


The  Prelate  professeth  the  first  and  second  to  be 
matters  of  faith,  but  when  he  cometh  to  the  third,  he 
esteemeth  them  to  be  no  matters  of  faith,  but  indif¬ 
ferent  ;  and  wondereth  that  a  wise  man  should  be  so 
precise  and  puritanical,  as  to  stand  upon  matters  that 
are  not  fundamental,  but  indifferent.  For  so  he  dis¬ 
tinguished,  making  every  thing  either  fundamental 
or  indifferent. 

4.  The  Pastor,  comparing  the  worship  of  God 
under  the  gospel  with  the  worship  under  the  law, 
findeth  that  the  commandment,  Deut.  xii.  32,  “  Every 
word  that  I  command  you,  that  ye  shall  observe  to 
do ;  thou  shalt  not  add  unto  it,  neither  shall  ye  dimi¬ 
nish  from  it,”  doth  equally  concern  both :  that  the 
mind  of  man,  if  left  to  itself,  would  prove  as  vain, 
and  foolish  under  the  gospel  as  under  the  law,  and 
that  Jesus  Christ  was  faithful  as  a  son  in  all  the  house 
of  God,  above  Moses,  who  was  but  a  servant ;  and 
therefore,  albeit  the  ceremonial  observations  under  the 
law  were  many,  which  was  the  burden  of  the  kirk 
under  the  Old  Testament,  and  ours  be  few,  which  is 
our  benefit,  yet  the  determination  from  God,  in  all  the 
matters  of  his  worship,  he  findeth  to  be  all  particular ; 
the  direction  of  all  the  parts  of  our  obedience  to  be  as 
clear  to  us  that  now  live  under  the  gospel,  as  it  was 
to  them  that  lived  under  the  law. 

The  Prelate,  as  if  either  it  were  lawful  now  to 
add  to  the  word,  or  man’s  mind  were  in  a  better 
frame,  or  the  Son  of  God  was  not  so  faithful  as  Moses 
the  servant,  or  as  if  direction  in  few  ceremonies  could 
not  be  as  plain  as  in  many,  would  bring  into  the  kirk 
a  new  ceremonial  law,  made  up  of  translations  of 


60 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


divine  worship,  of  imitations  of  false  worship,  and  of 
inventions  of  will-worship,  to  succeed  to  the  abolished 
ceremonies  under  the  law,  which  he  interpreteth  to  be 
the  liberty  and  power  of  the  Christian  kirk  in  matters 
indifferent,  above  the  kirk  of  the  Old  Testament,  but 
is  indeed  the  great  door  whereby  himself  and  others, 
(strange  office-bearers,  whereby  days,  altars,  vestures, 
cross,  kneeling,  and  ail  that  Romish  rabble’s  shadow,) 
have  entered  into  the  kirk  of  Christ,  and  which  will 
never  be  shut  again  till  himself  be  shut  out,  who, 
while  he  is  within,  holdeth  it  wide  open. 

5.  The  Pastor  giveth  no  power  to  the  kirk  to 
point  other  things  in  the  worship  of  God,  than  are 
appointed  already  by  Christ,  the  only  lawgiver  of  his 
kirk,  but  to  set  down  canons  and  constitutions  about 
things  before  appointed,  and  to  dispose  the  circum¬ 
stances  of  order  and  decency  that  are  equally  neces¬ 
sary  in  civil  and  religious  actions,  and  therefore 
resolveth,  first ,  that  nothing  positive,  or  that  floweth 
merely  from  institution,  can  be  indifferent,  or  can  be 
appointed  by  the  kirk ;  secondly,  that  reason  may  be 
given  from  Christian  prudence,  why  things  are  ap¬ 
pointed  by  the  kirk  thus,  and  no  other  way  ;  and 
thirdly ,  that  the  constitutions  of  the  kirk  about  things 
indifferent,  cannot  be  universal  for  all  times  and  kirks, 
and  therefore  cannot  be  concluded  upon  any  moral  or 
unalterable  ground,  which  made  the  ancients  to  ob¬ 
serve,  that  albeit  Christ’s  coat  had  no  seam,  yet  the 
kirk’s  vesture  was  of  divers  colours  ;  and  that  unity 
is  one  thing,  and  uniformity  another. 

The  Prelate, as  anew  lawgiver,  will  appoint  new 
rites  and  mystical  signs  in  the  kirk,  that  depend  upon 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


61 


mere  institution,  and  are  not  concluded  upon  any 
reason  of  Christian  prudence  for  such  a  time  and 
place,  but  upon  grounds  unchangeable,  and  therefore 
obliging  at  all  times  and  places,  as  is  evident  by  the 
reason  that  he  bringeth  for  fesval  days,  kneeling  in 
the  sacrament,  &c. 

6.  The  Pastor  distinguished!  betwixt  the  nature 
and  use  of  things  indifferent,  and  confesseth  with  all 
the  learned,  that  albeit  many  actions  be  in  their  nature 
indifferent,  yet  that  all  our  actions  in  particular  (at 
least  such  as  proceed  from  deliberation,  which  is  the 
exception  of  some  of  the  schoolmen)  are  either  good 
or  evil,  and  not  one  of  them  all  is  indifferent,  in  mat¬ 
ters  most  indifferent,  which  obligeth  him  to  seek  a 
warrant  from  God  for  that  which  he  doeth,  that  he 
may  do  it  in  faith,  to  walk  circumspectly,  to  take  heed 
to  his  own  words,  gestures,  &c.,  and  to  do  all  that  he 
doth  to  the  glory  of  God. 

The  Prelate  abhorreth  this  doctrine  as  the  foun¬ 
dation  of  puritanism,  the  restraint  of  his  licentiousness, 
and  the  ruin  of  his  monarchy ;  and,  therefore,  to  the 
contrary,  sinneth  with  a  bold  conscience,  and  maketh 
the  people  to  sin,  some  with  erring,  some  with  doubt¬ 
ing,  and  some  with  a  contradicting  conscience. 

7.  The  Pastor  giveth  ear  to  the  Holy  Ghost, 
charging  that  we  put  no  occasion  to  fall,  nor  stumb¬ 
ling-block  before  our  brethren,  (for  that  is  to  destroy 
him  for  whom  Christ  died)  commanding  the  strong  to 
bear  with  the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  not  to 
please  themselves  with  the  neglect  of  their  brethren, 
and  threatening  wo  to  them  by  whom  offences  come 
— against  which  no  authority  of  man  can  stand,  be- 


62 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


cause  it  can  neither  make  scandal  not  to  be,  nor  not 
to  be  sin,  nor  not  to  be  bis  sin  that  giveth  the  scandal. 

The  Prelate,  stopping  his  ear  against  the  com¬ 
mandment,  charge,  and  threatening  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whether  he  intend  to  give  scandal  or  not,  by  his 
manifold  abuse  of  things  indifferent,  and  especially 
by  receiving  into  the  kirk  again  things  called  indif¬ 
ferent,  which,  for  their  great  abuse,  were  abolished, 
giveth  offence  to  all  sorts;  as  the  boldness  and  in¬ 
crease  of  papists,  the  contempt  and  mocketh  of  the 
profane,  the  superstition  and  perplexity  of  the  simple, 
and  the  grief  and  crosses  of  the  godly  do  declare, 
against  which  he  never  had  any  excuse  but  the  pre¬ 
text  of  authority. 

The  Prelate’s  objection . — The  Prelate  will  still 
object,  that  ye  were  more  wise  to  quit  the  name  of 
conscience  in  matters  so  indifferent,  as  the  controverted 
articles  and  others  of  that  sort  be,  than  still  to  talk  of 
conscience,  conscience,  and  that  ye  are  but  a  part  of 
puritans,  that  are  so  precise  and  singular  beyond  your 
neighbours  in  matters  indifferent. 

The  Pastor’s  answer. — The  Prelate,  persuading  to 
put  away  conscience,  is  not  unlike  the  fox,  who, 
through  his  evil  guiding,  having  lost  his  tail,  would 
have  persuaded  all  his  neighbours  to  part  with  theirs, 
as  an  uncomely  and  unprofitable  burden,  that  all 
being  like  himself,  his  deformity  might  no  more  ap¬ 
pear.  A  good  conscience  would  please  God  in  all 
things,  in  substance  and  ceremony,  but  with  due  pro¬ 
portion.  It  first  and  most  standeth  at  camels,  and  yet 
next  it  straineth  at  gnats,  when  the  light  of  God’s 
truth  makes  them  discernible.  When  he  calleth  us  pre- 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


63 


sicians,  he  is  quite  mistaken ;  for  he  that  is  so  self- 
precise  that  he  will  rather  part  with  the  purity  of 
God’s  worship,  and  a  good  piece  of  the  truth  too, 
than  want  a  compliment  of  his  lordly  dignity,  or  piece 
of  his  worldly  commodity,  or  dish  of  his  delicacy; 
and  not  he  that  is  so  precise  in  the  matters  of  God’s 
worship,  (wherein  he  hath  no  power  to  be  liberal), 
that  he  will  forsake  all  to  follow  Christ :  he  and  no 
other  is  the  right  precisian.  He  calleth  our  pastors 
and  our  professors  puritans,  and  consequently  here¬ 
tics;  but,  blessed  be  God,  cannot  name  their  heresy. 
They  are  still  in  profession  that  which  he  was  not 
long  since,  when  he  was  farther  from  heresy  than  he 
is  now.  This  calumny  constraineth  us  to  distinguish 
betwixt  two  sorts  of  puritans;  the  one  is  the  old  here¬ 
tical  puritan,  who,  from  the  author  of  his  sect,  was 
called  Novatian,  and  from  his  heresy,  Catharist  or 
Puritan — such  a  one  our  pastor  is  not,  for, 

1st,  The  puritan  denied  the  baptism  of  infants. 

The  pastor  waiteth  on  baptism,  as  a  special  part  of 
his  calling,  which  the  prelate  doth  not. 

2d,  The  puritans  had  their  own  prelates,  and  liked 
of  prelacy. 

The  pastor  in  this  is  no  puritan,  but  the  prelate  the 
puritan. 

3d,  The  puritan  condemned  second  marriage  as 
unlawful. 

The  pastor  maintaineth  the  honour  of  marriage 
against  the  puritan,  the  papist,  and  the  prelate’s  ma¬ 
nifold  matrimonial  transgressions. 

4th,  The  puritan  denied  reconciliation,  in  some 
cases,  to  penitents. 


64 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


The  pastor  would  be  glad  to  see  the  prelate’s  repen¬ 
tance,  notwithstanding  his  great  defections,  and  that 
in  the  time  of  peace,  without  the  least  essay  of  perse¬ 
cution;  and,  therefore,  our  pastor  is  not  a  puritan. 

The  other  sort  is  the  new  nicknamed  puritan  in 
our  times,  wherein  the  papist  calleth  it  puritanism  to 
oppose  the  Roman  hierarchy;  the  Arminian  account¬ 
ed!  it  puritanism  to  defend  God’s  free  grace  against 
man’s  free  will;  the  formalist  thinketh  it  puritanism 
to  stand  out  against  conformity;  the  civilian,  not  to 
serve  the  time,  and  the  profane  thinketh  it  essential 
to  the  puritan  to  walk  precisely,  and  not  to  be  pro¬ 
fane, — and  so  essential  is  it,  indeed,  that  if  all  were 
profane  there  would  be  no  puritan,  for  the  profane 
and  the  puritan  are  opposed.  He  then  is  the  new 
puritan  that  standeth  for  Christ  against  antichrist, 
that  defended!  God’s  free  grace  against  man’s  free 
will,  that  would  have  every  thing  done  in  the  house 
of  God  according  to  the  will  of  God,  (which  is  his 
greatest  heresy,)  that  seeketh  after  the  power  of  reli¬ 
gion  in  his  heart  (and  this  is  his  intolerable  singulari¬ 
ty,)  and  that  stands  at  the  staff’s  end  against  the  sins 
of  the  time  (and  this  is  his  pride);  and  thus,  after  this 
way  that  the  world  calleth  heresy,  serveth  he  the  God 
of  his  fathers,  who  have  all  been  puritans  of  this  stamp 
since  the  beginning.  Abel,  who  was  hated  for  his 
holiness;  Enoch,  that  walked  with  God;  Noah,  that 
was  a  perfect  man  in  his  generation;  Heber,  that  made 
Peleg’s  name  a  testimony  that  he  was  free  of  the 
building  of  Babel;  Moses,  that  stood  upon  an  hoof;1 
Mordecai,  that  would  not  bow  his  knee ;  Daniel,  that 


i  Exodus  x.  20. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  TIIE  PRELATE. 


65 


would  not  hold  his  window  shut;  Eleazar,  that  would 
not  eat  one  morsel;  Paul,  that  would  not  dispense 
with  one  hour,  nor  with  an  appearance  of  evil;  Mar¬ 
cus  Arethusas,  that  would  not  redeem  his  life  with 
the  giving  of  an  halfpenny  to  idolatry;  Caius  Sulpi- 
tius,  who  was  ever  esteemed  by  the  pagans  a  good 
man,  but  that  he  was  a  Christian,  &c.,  were  they  liv¬ 
ing  at  this  time  they  would  not  escape  this  censure, 
and  would  be  accounted  good  men  if  they  were  not 
puritans.  The  widow  of  Sarepta  who  entertained 
Elijah, — the  Shunammite,  the  hostess  of  Elisha, — 
Hannah,  who,  for  multiplying  prayers  and  pouring 
out  her  heart  before  God,  was  rashly  censured  to  be 
a  daughter  of  Belial, — Anna,  the  widow  that  served 
God  with  fasting  and  prayer  night  and  day,  and  spake 
of  Christ, — the  godly  women  that  waited  on  Christ, 
ministered  unto  him  of  their  substance,  and  told  the 
apostles  of  his  resurrection, — Lydia,  that  constrained 
the  apostles  to  abide  with  her, — Lois  and  Eunice,  that 
had  a  care  that  their  children  should  have  grace, — the 
elect  lady,  the  famous  Hildgardis,  who  lived  in  the 
twelfth  century, — Mechthildes,  Elisabeth  the  German, 
and  many  more  who  censured  the  corruptions  of  the 
kirk,  and  especially  of  the  prelates  of  those  times,  and 
prophesied  of  the  Reformation,  which  they  longed  to 
see,  were  they  now  living,  would  be  censured  for  holy 
sisters  and  doting  puritans,  and  that  the  rock  and 
spindle  had  been  fitter  for  them.  Can  any  man  or 
woman  be  vexed  with  the  filthy  conversation  of  the 
wicked,  2  Pet.  ii. ;  be  stirred  up  in  spirit  against  idol¬ 
atry,  Acts  xvii.;  be  hot  in  religion,  Rev.  iii.;  fervent 
in  spirit,  Rom.  xii.;  walk  precisely,  Eph.  v.;  fear  an 

5 


66 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


oath,  make  the  Sabbath  his  delight,  Isa.  lviii. ;  love 
the  brotherhood,  1  Pet.  ii. ;  take  the  kingdom  of  God 
by  violence,  Matt,  xi.;  and  keep  a  good  conscience  in 
all  things,  Acts  xxiv.,  and  not  be  made  the  drunkard’s 
song,  the  by-word  of  the  people,  and  mocked  for  a 
puritan?  It  was  the  saying  of  Petrarch, — “  Simplicity 
carrieth  the  name  of  foolishness,  malice  the  name  of 
wisdom,  and  good  men  are  so  mocked  that  almost 
none  can  be  found  to  be  mocked.” 


PART  IV. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  PRELATE  COMPARED  BY  THE  REFORMATION  AND  FRO- 

CEEDINGS  OF  OUR  OWN  KIRK. 

The  discipline  and  government  of  the  kirk  at  the  first  began  to  be 
reformed,  and  the  prelate  to  be  cast  out. — The  pastor  proceedeth  in 
this  point  of  reformation,  and  the  prelate  in  his  avarice  and  ambi¬ 
tion. — At  last  prelacy  is  rooted  out  with  consent  of  the  whole  kirk. 
— The  kirk,  now  reformed  in  doctrine  and  discipline,  useth.  her 
authority  against  all  sorts  of  sin,  till  men  of  episcopal  disposition 
make  a  new  division  again. — The  pastor  standeth  to  the  reforma¬ 
tion  against  episcopatus,  which  the  prelate  attaineth  to  at  last  by 
many  degrees  and  much  working. — The  way  of  the  pastor’s  refor¬ 
mation,  and  the  prelate’s  defection,  very  contrary. — The  pastor 
beareth  witness  against  the  several  degrees  of  defection,  and  fear- 
eth  a  change  in  the  worship  of  God,  which  the  prelate  entereth 
upon  so  soon  as  the  government  is  altered,  and  he  come  to  his 
power. — The  pastor  resolveth  to  be  constant  to  the  end  against  all 
heresy  and  corruption,  which  is  entering  every  day  by  the  prelate’s 
misgovernment. — Objection ,  The  superintendents  in  the  beginning 
were  prelates. — Answer,  Showing  particularly  that  the  superin¬ 
tendents  were  not  prelates. 

As  no  family  or  civil  society  where  the  fundamental 
laws  are  neglected,  and  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust 
of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life  are  followed,  can 
continue  long  except  it  be  reformed,  even  so  the  kirk 
of  God,  through  the  disregard  of  the  laws  of  God  and 
direction  of  Scripture,  and  through  the  ambition  and 


68  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 

covetousness  of  kirkmen,  did  fall  away  so  far  from 
the  first  integrity  that  there  was  a  necessity  of  refor¬ 
mation,  and  nothing  more  certainly  looked  for,  and 
more  plainly  foretold,  a  long  time  before  any  of  our 
reformers,  or  Luther  himself,  came  into  the  world. 
This  reformation,  that  could  no  longer  be  delayed, 
was  often  urged,  but  never  likely  to  be  obtained  in  a 
general  council,  nor  with  consent  of  the  clergy  and 
court  of  Rome,  to  whom  reformation  was  a  certain 
ruin;  and,  therefore,  in  several  kingdoms,  countries 
and  states  of  the  Christian  world,  it  was  wonderfully 
wrought  by  the  Lord’s  mighty  power  in  his  weak  ser¬ 
vants.  Such  were,  amongst  others,  Baldus  of  Franc- 
fort,  Huss  of  Bohemia,  Jerome  of  Prague,  Luther  of 
Germany,  Wickliffe  of  England,  and  our  Knox  of 
Scotland;  whereupon  it  came  to  pass,  that  although 
one  part  of  Christiandom  knew  not  what  another  was 
•doing,  yet  they  all  agreed  (as  may  be  seen  in  the  Har¬ 
mony  of  Confessions,  published  to  the  world)  in  the 
most  essential  and  fundamental  matters  of  faith,  be¬ 
cause  the  Lord  was  master  of  that  work,  but  had  also 
their  own  differences  and  degrees  of  reformation, 
because  men  were  the  instruments,  and  they  were  not 
angels  but  men  that  were  to  be  wrought  upon;  for 
whose  divers  dispositions  in  sundry  nations  there  be¬ 
hoved  to  be  divers  disadvantages  to  the  work.  We 
are  not  rigid  censurers  of  other  reformed  kirks,  nor 
are  we  separatists  from  them;  but  this  we  think,  that 
a  twofold  duty  lieth  upon  us  and  them  all,  whatso¬ 
ever  be  the  measure  of  reformation.  One  is,  (albeit 
there  be  ever  some  catholic  moderators  that  will  be 
trysters  betwixt  us  and  Rome,  and  think  to  agree 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  69 

Christ  and  antichrist,)  that  we  all  with  one  heart  praise 
God  for  separating  us  from  Sodom,  resolving  never  to 
return  again  where  there  be  so  many  heresies  both 
against  the  common  principles  and  particular  articles 
of  faith,  so  manifold  idolatry  both  against  the  first  and 
second  commandment,  so  proud  a  hierarchy  as  can 
neither  stand  with  the  spiritual  kingdom  of  Christ  nor 
the  civil  kingdoms  of  princes,  and  so  bloody  a  tyranny 
against  all  who  believe  their  heresies,  to  practice  their 
idolatry,  and  to  be  slavish  to  their  hierarchy.  Return¬ 
ing  to  any  point  of  their  profession  is  an  approbation 
of  their  cruelty  against  them  that  have  denied  it;  and 
whosoever  approve  their  worship  they  bring  upon 
themselves  the  blood  of  so  many  saints  and  faithful 
martyrs  of  Christ,  who  have  testified  the  word  of  God, 
and  have  washed  their  robes  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 
The  other  duty  is,  that  albeit  there  be  ever  some  adi- 
aphorists,  who  for  their  own  particular  ends  make 
many  things,  and  show  more  things  to  be  indifferent 
in  the  worship  of  God,  that  under  this  pretext  they 
may  bring  them  back  that  have  been  advanced  before 
them  in  the  work  of  reformation;  that  we  all  praise 
God  with  one  heart  for  the  measure  that  every  one 
hath  attained  unto;  and  they  that  are  behind  in  refor¬ 
mation,  whatsoever  their  outward  splendour  be,  envy 
not  them  who  have  run  before,  or  study  to  draw  them 
back  to  their  degree,  lest  both  return  to  Rome;  but 
that  all,  against  all  impediments,  press  forward  to 
farther  perfection,  ever  reforming  somewhat  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  pattern, — there  being  no  staying  neither  for 
the  Christian  nor  for  the  kirk.  The  kirk  of  Scotland 
hath  little  cause  to  be  pleased  with  herself  when  she 

5* 


70 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


looketh  upon  her  late  sudden  and  shameful  defection, 
but  great  and  singular  cause  to  praise  God  when  she 
looketh  to  his  gracious  dispensation.  For  as  Scotland, 
albeit  far  from  Jerusalem,  was  one  of  the  first  nations 
that  the  light  of  the  gospel  shone  on  when  it  appeared 
to  the  Gentiles,  and  one  of  the  last  that  kept  the  light 
when  the  shadows  of  the  hills  of  Rome  began  to 
darken  the  earth;  so  when  the  sun  came  about  again 
at  the  Reformation,  if  this  blessed  light  shone  upon 
others,  all  that  had  eyes  to  see,  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  have  seen  and  said,  that  it  shone  fairest  upon 
us.  Divine  providence  delighting  to  supply  the  defect 
of  nature  with  abundance  of  grace,  and  to  make  this 
other  side  of  the  earth,  lying  behind  the  visible  sun, 
by  the  clear  and  comforting  beams  of  the  Sun  of 
righteousness,  to  be  the  sunny  side  of  the  Christian 
world,  whereof  these  following  testimonies  are  suffi¬ 
cient  proof: 

One  of  Mr.  George  Wishart ,  martyr. — “  This 
realm  shall  be  illuminated  with  the  light  of  Christ’s 
gospel  as  clearly  as  ever  was  realm  since  the  days  of 
the  apostles.  The  house  of  God  shall  be  built  in  it, 
yea,  it  shall  not  lack  (whatsoever  the  enemy  imagine 
to  the  contrary)  the  very  top-stone;  the  glory  of  God 
shall  evidently  appear,  and  shall  once  triumph  in  des¬ 
pite  of  Satan.  But,  alas!  if  the  people  shall  be  after 
unthankful,  then  fearful  and  terrible  shall  the  plagues 
be  that  after  shall  follow.” — Hist,  of  the  Kirk  of 
Scotland ,  p.  108. 

Another  of  Beza. — “  This  is  a  great  gift  of  God, 
that  ye  have  brought  into  Scotland  together  pure  reli¬ 
gion. and  good  order,  which  is  the  band  to  hold  fast 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


71 


the  doctrine.  I  heartily  pray  and  beseech  for  God’s 
sake,  hold  fast  those  two  together,  so  that  ye  may  re¬ 
member  that  if  the  one  be  lost  the  other  cannot  long 
remain.  As  bishops  brought  forth  popery,  so  false 
bishops  the  relics  of  popery,  shall  bring  into  the  world 
epicureanism.  Whosoever  would  have  the  kirk  safe 
let  them  beware  of  this  pest;  and,  seeing  ye  have 
timely  dispatched  it  in  Scotland,  I  beseech  you  never 
admit  it  again,  albeit  it  flatter  with  show  of  the  pre¬ 
servation  of  unity,  which  hath  deceived  many  of  the 
best  of  the  ancients.”1 

Ji  third  of  the  body  of  Confessions  of  Faith” — 
“  It  is  the  rare  privilege  of  the  Kirk  of  Scotland  be¬ 
fore  many,  in  which  respect  her  name  is  famous  even 
among  strangers,  that  about  the  space  of  four  and  fifty 
years,  without  schism,  let  be  heresy,  she  hath  kept 
and  held  fast  unity  with  purity  of  doctrine.  The 
greatest  help  of  this  unity  of  the  mercy  of  God  was, 
that  with  the  doctrine  the  discipline  of  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  as  it  is  prescribed  in  the  word  of  God,  was, 
by  little  and  little  together,  resumed;  and  according 
to  that  discipline,  so  near  as  might  be,  the  whole  go¬ 
vernment  of  the  kirk  was  disposed.  By  this  means 
all  the  seeds  of  schisms  and  errors,  so  soon  as  they 

1  Magnum  est  hoc  Dei  munus  quod  una  et  religionem  puram  x.cti 
ivrci^ixv  doctrines,  viz.  retinendae  vinculum  in  Scotiam  intulistis.  Sic 
obsecro  et  obtestor  haec  duo  simul  retinete,  ut  uno  amisso,  alterum 
diu  permanere  non  posse  semper  memineritis.  Sicut  episcopi  papa- 
tum  pepererunt,  itapseudo  episcopos,  papatus  reliquias,  epicureis- 
mum  terris  invecturos  :  hanc  pestem  caveant,  qui  salvam  ecclesiam 
cupiunt,  et  quum  illam  in  Scotia  in  tempore  profligaris  ne  quaeso  illam 
unquam  admittas,  quantumvis  unitatis  retinendae  specie,  quae  veteres 
etiam  optimos  multos  fbfellit  blandiatur.  Bez.  epist.  lxxix. 


72 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


began  to  bud  and  show  themselves,  in  their  very  breed¬ 
ing  and  birth  were  smothered  and  rooted  out.  The 
Lord  God,  of  his  infinite  goodness,  grant  unto  the  king’s 
most  gracious  majesty,  to  all  the  rulers  of  the  kirk, 
to  the  powers  that  are  nurses  of  the  kirk,  that,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  word  of  God,  they  may  keep  perpetually 
that  unity  and  purity  of  doctrine!  Amen.”1 

The  fourth  is  of  king  James  our  late  sovereign. — 
“  The  religion  professed  in  this  country,  wherein  I  was 
brought  up,  and  ever  made  profession  of,  and  wishes 
my  son  ever  to  continue  in  the  same,  as  the  only  true 
form  of  God’s  worship,  &c.  I  do  equally  love  and 
honour  the  learned  and  grave  men  of  either  of  these 
opinions,  that  like  better  the  single  form  of  policy  in 
our  kirk  than  the  many  ceremonies  in  the  kirk  of  Eng¬ 
land,  &c.  I  exhort  my  son  to  be  beneficial  to  the 
good  men  of  the  ministry,  praising  God  that  there  are 
presently  a  sufficient  number  of  good  men  of  them 
in  this  kingdom,  and  yet  are  they  all  known  to  be 
against  the  form  of  the  English  kirk.”2 

1  Est  illud  ecclesiae  Scotanoe  privilegium  rarura  prce  multis,  in  quo 
etiam,  ejus  nomen  apud  exteros  fuit  celebre,  quod  circiter  anos  plus 
minus  54  sine  schismate  nedum  heresi,  unitatem  cum  puritate  doc- 
trina3  servaverit  et  retinuerit.  Hujus  unitatis  adminiculum  ex  Dei 
misericordia  maximum  fuit ;  quod  paulatim  cum  doctrina  Christi  et 
apostolorum  disciplinary  sicut  ex  verbo  Dei  est  prasscripta  una  fuit 
recepta,  et  quam  proxime  fieri  potuit,  secundum  earn  totum  regimen 
ecclesiasticum,  fuit  administratum.  Hac  ratione  omnia  schismatum, 
atque  errorum  semina  quam  primum  pullulare,  aut  se  exerere  visa 
sunt,  in  ipsa  quasi  herba  et  partu  sunt  suffocata,  et  extirpata.  Det 
Dominus  Deus  pro  immensa  sua  bonitate  Regioe  Majestati  serenissi- 
mse,  omnibusque  ecclcsiarum  gubernatoribus,  potestatibus  ecclcsia? 
nutritiis,  ut  ex  Dei  verbo  illam  unitatem,  et  doctrinae  puritatem  per- 
petuo  conservent.  Amen.  Corpus  Confess,  fidei,  p.  6. 

2  King  James’s  Baeilicon  Doron. 


TIIE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  73 

He  praised  God  that  he  was  bom  to  be  a  king  in 
the  sincerest  kirk  in  the  world,  &c.  Assembly,  1590. 
The  prelates  themselves,  and  the  maintainers  of  con¬ 
formity,  dare  not  for  shame  open  their  mouths  against 
the  work  of  God  in  the  reformation,  and  against  the 
purity  of  their  mother  kirk,  and  therefore  would  have 
her  open  her  mouth  in  the  defence  of  their  hierarchy 
and  ceremonies,  and  do  wrest  her  authority  and  pro¬ 
ceedings  to  that  sense.  Let  us  then  ask  of  herself 
whether  she  liketh  the  pastor  or  the  prelate. 

1.  The  Pastor  and  men  of  God,  at  the  acceptable 
time  of  reformation,  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Spi¬ 
rit  of  God,  laboured  to  reform  not  only  the  doctrine, 
sacraments  and  whole  worship  of  God,  but  also  the 
discipline  and  whole  government  of  the  house  of  God, 
by  abolishing  the  jurisdiction  of  prelates,  and  all  that 
Roman  hierachy  ;  as  is  manifest  by  their  acknowledg¬ 
ing  no  other  ordinary  and  perpetual  office-bearers  in 
the  kirk  but  pastors,  doctors,  elders  and  deacons;1  by 
their  petitioning  that  the  rents  of  the  prelates  and  of 
their  train  should  be  converted  to  other  uses ;  by  their 
subscribing  the  Helvetic  Confession,2  which  censureth 
prelacy  for  the  invention  of  man,  and  by  the  letters 
which  they  received  from  foreign  kirks,  congratulating 
that  they  had  timely  purged  the  kirk  of  this  proud 
prelacy,  that  they  had  received  with  the  doctrine  the 
discipline  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  and  willing  and 
obtesting  them  to  beware  of  the  pest  of  prelacy  as 
they  loved  the  weal  of  the  kirk.3 

The  Prelate,  not  only  in  respect  of  his  popish  re- 

l  Books  of  Discipline.  2  Anno  1566.  3  Beza  to  Knox,  1571. 


74 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


ligion,  but  also  in  respect  of  his  papal  and  episcopal 
jurisdiction,  was  one  of  the  great  evils  that  cried  for 
reformation  of  the  kirk;  and,  therefore,  albeit  he  kept 
still  the  title,  the  rent  and  civil  place  of  the  prelate’s 
(which  the  kirk  could  not  take  from  him,  and  which 
maketh  many  to  mistake  his  descent)  ecclesiastical 
authority  was  so  far  abolished  that  neither  were  their 
successors  designed  to  such  prelates  as  continued 
obstinate  papists,  nor  was  episcopal  authority  con¬ 
tinued  in  their  persons  that  were  converted,  nor  were 
superintendents  ordained  to  be  new  prelates.  Only 
some  of  the  converted  prelates,  for  want  of  means  to 
furnish  others,  were  designed  to  be  commissioners 
of  the  kirk,  as  other  ordinary  pastors  were,  but  with 
bad  success ;  for  never  one  of  them  did  good  to  the 
kirk. 

2.  The  Pastor  and  men  of  God,  proceeding  in  the 
work  of  reformation,  acknowledged  no  government 
of  the  kirk  by  the  lordly  domination  of  prelates,  but 
by  the  common  consent  and  authority  of  assemblies, 
which  were  of  four  sorts, — national,  provincial,  paro¬ 
chial  and  presbyterial.  The  lineaments  of  the  last 
were  drawn  at  the  first  when  the  weekly  assemblies 
were  appointed  for  exercise  of  discipline  and  inter¬ 
pretation  of  the  Scriptures,  but  were  not,  nor  could 
not  be,  accomplished  and  perfectly  established  till  the 
light  was  spread,  and  particular  kirks  were  planted  in 
the  several  quarters  and  corners  of  the  land,  that  they 
might  make  a  number,  and  conveniently  assemble  in 
presbyterial  meetings. 1 

i  To  these  the  superintendents  were  subject  by  an  Act  of  Assem¬ 
bly,  1562. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


75 


The  Prelate  is  restless,  proceeds  whither  his  ava¬ 
rice  and  ambition  carry  him,  and  willing,  in  those 
times,  rather  to  be  a  titular  or  a  tulchan1  (as  he  was 
then  named)  than  to  be  nobody  above  his-  brethren. 
He  taketh  upon  him  the  title  of  bishop,  with  a  small 
part  of  the  rent,  permitting  the  greater  part  to  my 
lord,  whose  bishop  he  was,  and  proudly  again  arro¬ 
gates  authority  over  the  kirk. 

3.  The  Pastor  and  men  of  God,  learning  not  from 
Geneva,  but  from  Scripture  and  daily  experience,  that 
the  government  of  prelates  was  full  of  usurpation  and 
of  all  sorts  of  corruption,  whereof  many  did  complain 
that  it  had  no  warrant,  and  was  never  like  to  have 
any  blessing  from  God,  resolved  at  last  to  strike  at  the 
root  ;2  and,  therefore,  after  many  disputations  in  pri¬ 
vate  and  public,  consultations  with  the  greatest  divines 
of  other  reformed  kirks,  and  after  long  and  mature 
deliberations,  the  Second  Book  of  Discipline,  pronoun¬ 
cing  the  jurisdiction  and  office  of  the  prelate  to  be  un¬ 
lawful,  was  resumed  by  consent  of  the  whole  kirk ; 
an  ordinance  made  that  bishops  betake  themselves  to 
the  charge  of  one  congregation,  and  that  they  exer¬ 
cise  no  civil  jurisdiction;  the  Confession  of  Faith 
sworn  and  subscribed,  wherein  they  oblige  themselves 
to  continue  in  the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  this  kirk. 
The  same  year  it  was  declared  in  the  General  Assem¬ 
bly,  that  the  office  of  the  prelate  was  unlawful  in 
itself,  and  had  no  warrant  in  the  word  of  God,  there¬ 
after  renewed  in  covenant.3 

The  Prelate  and  men  of  that  disposition,  having 

i  Leith,  1571,  2  Edinburgh,  1575,  3  Dundee,  1580. 


76 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


in  the  end  nothing  to  oppone,  professed  that  they 
agreed  in  their  consciences,  consented  to  the  Acts 
of  the  kirk,  swore  to  and  subscribed  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  renewed  the  covenant  with  the  kirk,  and  helped 
to  put  on  the  cope-stone  of  the  kirk  of  God  with  their 
own  hands;  like  as  the  same  Confession  of  Faith  was 
subscribed  by  those  that  are  now  in  the  proudest 
places  of  prelacy,  and  who  have  proved  since  the 
chief  instruments  of  all  the  alterations  in  the  discipline 
and  external  worship  of  God,  and  ring-leaders  in  the 
defection  of  the  kirk,  with  what  conscience  may  be 
seen  by  their  dishonest  excuses,  their  poor  shifts  and 
their  shameless  railings  against  that  which  they  did 
once  so  much  reverence,  all  to  be  seen,  as  they  are 
published  in  print.1 

4.  The  Pastor  and  men  of  God,  desiring  to  testify 
their  thankfulness  for  so  singular  favour  vouchsafed 
upon  this  kirk  and  nation,  and  to  employ  the  benefit 
of  the  discipline  now  established  for  the  liberty  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  and  against  the  tyranny  of  sin  and 
Satan,  addressed  themselves,  all  as  one  man,  with 
great  fidelity  and  courage  for  the  work  of  God,  urged 
residence  and  diligence  in  ministers,  kept,  with  success 
from  heaven,  their  public  and  solemn  humiliations, 
made  the  pulpits  to  sound  against  papistry  and  pro¬ 
faneness,  and  set  all  men  on  work,  as  they  had  grace 
or  place,  for  purging  the  country  of  all  corruptions, 
and  defending  the  kirk  against  her  professed  enemies, 
who  never  ceased,  by  negotiating  with  the  Pope  and 
the  Spanish  king,  unnaturally  to  labour  for  their  own 


i  Tranent,  1604. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  77 

and  her  rain,  whereof  the  divine  providence  had  dis¬ 
appointed  them  in  1588. 

The  Prelate’s  authority  at  this  time  lay  dead,  and 
men  of  that  disposition  made  no  great  din.  But  the 
kirk  then  (unlike  that  which  she  is  now,)  comely  as 
Jerusalem,  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners,  against 
all  her  enemies  did  stand  whole  and  sound  in  unity 
and  concord  of  her  ministers,  authority  of  her  assem¬ 
blies,  divine  order  of  her  ministry,  and  purity  of  exter¬ 
nal  worship,  with  great  power  and  presence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  in  many  congregations  of  the  land,  till, 
at  last,  for  unity,  division  entered  into  the  kirk,  pre¬ 
lacy,  that  had  slept  before,  was  wakened  again,  and 
this  mystery  beginneth  to  work  anew,  neither  by  any 
cause  offered  by  the  pastors  of  the  kirk  at  the  17th  of 
December  (as  the  enemy  calumniates,)  for  after  long 
trial  they  were  found  faultless  and  faithful  by  his 
majesty’s  own  testimony,  nor  yet  upon  that  occasion, 
for  the  meeting  of  the  kirk  for  making  that  charge 
was  indicted  before  the  17th  day;1  but  the  cause  was 
a  plot  contrived  before  for  procuring  peace  to  the 
popish  lords,  to  make  war  among  the  ministry  and  to 
divide  them  among  themselves.  For  this  effect  fifty- 
five  problems  were  framed  to  call  the  established  dis¬ 
pline  of  the  kirk  in  question,  and,  at  one  and  the  same 
time,  way  was  made  for  renconciliation  of  the  popish 
lords,  and  for  restitution  of  the  popish  prelates.  And 
the  schism  of  our  kirk,  so  well  compacted  before,  began 
at  that  time,  not  upon  their  part  who  stand  for  the 
discipline,  but  by  some  of  the  prelate’s  disposition, 


i  Perth,  1596. 
6 


78  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 

that  is,  of  flattering  and  worldly-minded  ministers, 
who  gave  other  answers  to  thirteen  of  the  fifty-five 
articles  concerning  the  government  of  the  kirk  than 
their  worthy  brethren  desired;  so  that,  if  the  cause 
or  occasion  maketh  the  schismatic,  the  prelate  is  the 
schismatic  and  not  the  pastor. 

5.  The  Pastor  and  men  of  God,  as  they  had  been 
diligent  to  establish  the  government  of  the  kirk  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  will  of  Christ,  and  after  it  was,  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  established,  were  faithful  in  using  it 
for  the  honour  of  God  and  good  of  the  kirk ;  so  now, 
when  it  began  craftily  to  be  called  in  question,  were 
careful,  according  to  their  office  and  oath,  to  stand 
to  the  defence  thereof,  both  against  professed  enemies 
and  against  the  schism  begun  by  their  own  brethren ; 
albeit  they  could  not  at  the  first  have  been  persuaded 
that  their  brethren  would  ever  so  foully  forgot  them¬ 
selves,  as,  against  their  great  oath  in  the  sight  of  God 
and  the  world,  to  take  upon  them  the  dominion  of 
prelates,  and,  for  their  own  back  and  belly,  to  trouble 
the  kirk,  and  mar  all  the  worship  of  God  as  they  have 
done. 

The  Prelate,  through  the  schism  at  that  time  be¬ 
gun  by  himself,  savouring  the  sweetness  of  wealth  and 
honour,  forgetteth  his  oath,  his  office,  and  all,  followeth 
greedily  upon  the  scent,  and  climbeth  craftily,  by  de¬ 
grees  and  betimes,  to  the  height  that  he  could  not  ad¬ 
vance  himself  to  at  once.  First ,  With  much  ado, 
and  many  protestations  that  he  meant  nothing  against 
discipline  established,  but  desired  to  vindicate  the 
ministry  from  poverty  and  contempt,  he  gets  liber¬ 
ty  to  vote  in  parliament  for  the  kirk,  but  with  such 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  79 

caveats  as  would  have  kept  him  from  his  present  pre¬ 
lacy  if  he  had  kept  them  as  he  was  obliged. 1  Secondly , 
Five  years  thereafter  he  was  made  constant  modera¬ 
tor,  and  that  of  the  presbytery  only  where  he  was 
resident,  and  not  of  the  synods,  upon  as  fair  precepts, 
and  with  the  like  protestations  and  cautions.2  Third¬ 
ly ,  Being  lord  of  parliament,  lord  of  council,  patron 
of  benefices,  modifier  of  ministers’  stipends,  he  was 
armed  also  with  the  power  of  the  high  commission, 
and,  having  two  swords,  might  do  against  the  kirk 
what  he  pleased.3  Thereafter  incontinent,  he  usurped 
the  power  of  ordination  and  jurisdiction;4  and,  at 
last,  albeit  without  consent  or  knowledge  of  the  kirk  - 
of  Scotland,  went  and  resumed  consecration  in  Eng¬ 
land,5  and,  since  that  time,  hath  taken  upon  him,  and 
hath  exercised,  the  plenary  power  and  office  of  a 
bishop  in  the  kirk,  no  less  than  if  the  assembly  of  this 
kirk  had  chosen  him  to  the  name  and  office  of  a  bishop, 
which,  as  yet,  they  have  never  done, — the  most  cor¬ 
rupt  of  their  own  assemblies  granting  only  the  nega¬ 
tive  power  of  ordination  and  jurisdiction  to  them, 
who  were  never  called  bishops  by  any  warrant  from 
the  kirk,  but  only  in  the  vulgar  speech,  from  the  titles 
they  had  to  benefices,  in  which  respect  civil  persons 
beneficed  were  called  bishops  in  former  times. 

X 

6.  The  Pastor  and  men  of  God,  seeking  neither 
profit  nor  preferment  to  themselves,  expelled  the  pre¬ 
late  and  all  his  ceremonies  out  of  the  kirk  of  Christ, 

1  Dundee,  1597,  May,  and  March  following;  Falkland,  1598;  Ho- 
lyrood  House,  1599;  Montrose,  1600. 

2  Lintlithgow,  1606.  3  February,  1610. 

4  Glasgow,  June,  1610.  5  November,  1610, 


80 


THE  PASTOR  ANI>  THE  PRELATE. 


by  no  other  means  but  such  as  became  faithful  minis¬ 
ters  of  Christ,  as  preaching,  praying,  writing,  advising 
with  the  best  reformed  kirks,  reasoning  in  assemblies, 
and,  after  liberty  granted  to  all,  to  oppone  the  consent, 
oath  and  subscription  of  the  adversaries. 

The  Prelate,  seeking  nothing  but  his  own  profit 
and  preferment,  is  restored  again,  by  such  means  as 
better  beseem  his  ministers  who  hath  been  a  murderer 
and  a  liar  from  the  beginning,  than  the  sincere  minis¬ 
ters  of  Jesus  Christ;  for  craft  and  cruelty  hath  been 
their  ways.  Their  craft  was  to  remove  their  strongest 
opponents  out  of  the  country,  that  they  might  not  be 
present  in  assemblies  to  espy  their  proceedings,  and 
to  reason  against  them,  to  abolish  the  true  liberty  and 
authority  of  assemblies,  to  protest  that  they  were 
seeking  no  prelacy,  neither  of  the  popish  nor  English 
kind,  and  that  they  had  no  purpose  to  subvert  the 
discipline  received,  but  to  deliver  the  kirk  from  dis¬ 
grace,  and  to  be  the  more  mighty  to  oppose  her  ene¬ 
mies,  Jesuits  and  papists,  who  falsify  the  acts  of  the 
kirk,  to  promise  to  keep  all  the  cautions  and  conditions 
made  to  hold  them  in  order,  which  now  they  profess 
they  never  minded  to  do,  &c.;  their  cruelty  hath  been 
to  boast,  to  banish,  imprison,  deprive,  confine,  si¬ 
lence,  &c. 

7.  The  Pastor  and  men  of  God,  all  this  time  of  de¬ 
fection,  gave  testimony  to  the  truth,  opposed  the  seve¬ 
ral  steps  of  the  prelate’s  ambition  by  all  the  means 
that  became  them  to  use,  as  public  preaching,  suppli¬ 
cating,  reasoning,  protesting,  and  suffering,  and  when 
the  prelate  was  triumphing  in  the  height  of  his  dignity, 
they  could  not,  comparing  the  first  temple  with  the 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


81 


second,  but  declare  the  grief  of  their  hearts  for  the 
change,  and  their  great  fear  of  alteration  to  be  made 
in  the  worship  of  God,  when  now  the  hedge  of  the 
kirk  was  broken  down,  and  an  open  way  made  for 
all  corruption. 

The  Prelate  is  of  the  clergy  that  seldom  are  seen 
penitent,  and  therefore,  as  against  all  the  means  used 
by  the  pastor  he  had  altered  the  government  of  the 
kirk,  so  he  enters  next  upon  the  worship  and  service 
of  God,  and  will  have  a  new  confession  of  faith,  new 
catechism,  new  forms  of  prayer,  new  observation  of 
days,  new  forms  of  ministration  of  the  sacraments,1 
which  he  first  practised  himself  against  the  Acts  and 
order  of  the  kirk,  and  since  convened  an  assembly  of 
his  own  making  to  draw  on  the  practice  of  others;2 
and,  thirdly ,  he  hath  involved  the  honourable  estates 
of  the  kingdom,  into  his  great  guiltiness  by  their  rati¬ 
fication  in  parliament,  which  hath  brought  an  inunda¬ 
tion  of  evils  into  this  kirk  and  country.3 

8.  The  Pastor  and  men  of  God,  considering  what 
the  kirk  was  before,  and  what  it  is  now,  what  the 
Reformation  was,  and  what  conformity  is,  what  the 
proceedings  of  the  one  and  the  other  have  been, — 
seeing  religion  wearing  away,  he  pitieth  the  young 
ones  that  never  have  seen  better  times,  laments  over 
the  multitude  that  cannot  see  the  evils  of  the  present, 
and  resol veth  for  himself  to  hold  constant  to  the  end, 
against  papists,  prelates,  Arminians,  and  whatsoever 
can  arise,  to  wait  with  patience  what  the  Lord  will 
do  for  his  people,  and,  when  he  is  gone,  to  leave  a 

i  Aberdeen,  1616.  St.  Andrew’s,  1617.  2  Perth,  1618. 

3  Edinburgh,  1621. 

6* 


82 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


testimony  behind  him  of  the  twofold  misery  of  impiety 
and  iniquity  that  he  hath  seen  in  this  land. 

The  Prelate  hath  forgot  what  himself  and  the 
kirk  were  once ;  he  hath  wrought  a  greater  defection 
in  this  kirk  in  the  short  time  of  his  episcopacy  than 
was  in  the  primitive  kirk  for  some  hundreds  of  years, 
and  is  so  far  yet  blinded  with  the  love  of  his  place  in 
the  world,  that  he  maketh  his  worldly  credit  the  canon, 
and  his  prelacy  the  touchstone  for  the  trial  of  all  reli¬ 
gion;  the  Pope  shall  no  more  be  antichrist,  papistry 
may  be  borne  with,  Arminianism  may  be  brought  in, 
because  they  can  keep  company  with  prelacy.  The 
Reformation  is  puritanism,  preciseness,  separation, 
and  intolerable,  because  it  cannot  cohabit  with  pre¬ 
lacy.  The  gods  of  the  nations  were  social,  and  could 
live  together,  but  the  God  of  Israel  is  a  jealous 
God. 

The  Prelate’s  objection. — The  Prelate  will  object 
that,  albeit  he  can  neither  justify  all  his  own  proceed- 
ceedings  of  late,  nor  yours  of  old,  as  all  men  have 
their  own  infirmities,  yet  that  ye  do  him  wrong  by 
your  deduction,  in  confounding  times  that  should  be 
distinguished;  because  from  the  Reformation  to  the 
coming  of  some  scholars  from  Geneva  with  presbyte- 
lial  discipline  this  kirk  was  ruled  by  prelates,  and  the 
superintendents  in  the  beginning  were  the  same  in 
substance  that  the  prelates  are  now. 

The  Pastor’s  answer. — All  men  have  their  own 
infirmities,  but  good  men  are  not  presumptuously  bold 
for  the  love  of  the  world,  to  hold  on  in  a  course  of 
defection  against  so  many  obligations  from  themselves, 
and  so  many  warnings  from  good  men.  Infirmity  is 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


83 


one  thing  and  presumption  is  another.  The  pastors 
of  the  kirk  of  Scotland  had  begun  to  root  out  bishopry, 
and  to  condemn  it  in  their  assemblies,  before  these 
scholars  came  from  Geneva,  but  never  condemned 
but  allowed  the  charge  of  superintendents,  appointed 
for  a  time  in  the  beginning  of  the  kirk,  the  one  and 
the  other  being  different  in  substance :  For, 

1st,  The  superintendent,  according  to  the  canon  of 
the  kirk,  was  admitted  as  another  minister,  without 
consecration  of  any  bishop. 

The  prelate  is  chosen,  for  fashion,  by  dean  and  chap¬ 
ter,  without  any  canon  of  the  kirk,  and  with  solemn 
consecration  of  the  metropolitan  and  their  bishops. 

2d,  The  superintendent  appropriated  not  the  power 
of  ordination  and  jurisdiction,  but  both  remained  com¬ 
mon  to  other  ministers. 

The  prelate  hath  taken  to  himself  the  power  to 
ordain  and  depose  ministers,  and  to  decree  excommu¬ 
nication, 

3d,  The  superintendents  made  not  a  hierarchy  of 
archsuperintendents,  and  others  inferior,  some  general 
and  some  provincial,  some  primates  and  some  suffra¬ 
gans,  some  archdeans  and  some  deans,  &c. 

The  prelates  have  set  up  a  hierarchy  of  all  these. 

4th,  The  superintendent  was  subject  to  the  censure 
not  only  of  the  national  but  of  the  provincial  kirk 
where  he  superintended. 

The  prelate  is  subject  to  no  censure,  but  may  do 
what,  and  may  go  whither,  he  will,  and  no  man  ask 
him  why  he  hath  done  so. 

5th,  The  superintendent’s  charge  was  merely  eccle¬ 
siastical,  and  more  in  preaching  than  in  government. 


84 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


The  prelate  is  more  in  ruling  than  in  preaching,  and 
more  in  the  world  than  in  the  kirk. 

6th,  The  superintendent  acknowledgeth  his  charge 
to  be  but  temporary,  and  often  desired  to  lay  it  down 
before  the  General  Assembly. 

The  prelate  thinketh  his  office  to  be  perpetual  by 
reason  and  in  virtue  of  his  consecration. 

7  th,  The  superintendent  had  no  greater  power  than 
the  commissioners  of  provinces,  and,  in  respect  of  his 
superintendency,  was  rather  a  commissioner  of  the 
kirk  than  an  office-bearer  essentially  different  from 
the  pastor. 

The  prelate  neither  hath  received  commission  from 
the  kirk,  nor  meaneth  to  render  a  reckoning  to  them, 
nor  account  of  himself  as  of  a  commissioner,  but  think¬ 
eth  his  office  as  essentially  diverse  from  the  office  of 
the  pastor  as  the  pastor’s  office  is  from  the  deacon’s. 
The  Pope  may  as  well  say  that  the  evangelists  were 
popes  as  the  prelate,  that  the  superintendents  were 
prelates. 


PART  V. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  PRELATE  COMPARED  BY  THE  WEAL  OF  THE  KIRK  AND 

THE  PEOPLE’S  SOULS. 

The  good  estate  of  the  kirk,  the  end  of  kirk  policy. — The  prelate 
abuseth  the  people  three  ways  in  determining  what  is  the  good 
estate  of  the  kirk. — The  pastor  careful  to  preserve  the  purity  of 
doctrine  for  the  good  of  the  kirk;  the  prelate  cares  more  for  his 
own  things. — The  pastor,  in  the  matter  of  ceremonies,  looks  to  the 
edification  of  the  kirk,  which  the  prelate  disregardeth. — The  pastor, 
in  the  whole  course  of  his  ministry,  intends  the  feeding  of  the  flock; 
the  prelate  to  feed  himself. — The  pastor  subject  to  the  discipline  of 
the  kirk  himself,  and  exerciseth  it  for  the  good  of  the  people ;  the 
prelate,  neither  subject  to  the  discipline  himself,  nor  exerciseth  it 
for  the  good  of  others,  nor  suffereth  the  pastor  to  exercise  it. — The 
pastor  would  have  all  things  be  done  for  the  good  of  the  kirk  by 
the  free  assemblies  of  the  kirk;  the  prelate  will  rule  all  by  himself, 
whether  in  assembly  or  out  of  assembly. — The  pastor  planteth  the 
kirk  with  the  best  men,  with  consent  of  the  people,  and  without 
hurting  the  conscience  of  the  entrant;  the  prelate  with  such  as 
please  himself,  without  consent  of  the  people  or  presbytery,  and 
with  hurting  of  the  conscience  of  the  entrant. — The  pastor  by  all 
means  seeketh  the  peace  of  the  kirk ;  the  prelate  seeketh  his  own 
peace  and  prosperity. — The  pastor  contents  himself  with  his  com¬ 
petent  stipend;  the  prelate  is  a  master  of  the  kirk’s  patrimony. — - 
Objection ,  Parity  is  anarchy  and  confusion. — Answer,  Showing,  by 
many  particulars,  that  the  order  of  the  ministry  appointed  by  Christ 
is  far  from  confusion. 


The  safety  and  good  of  the  state  was  the  main  end  of 
Roman  policy,  and  the  fundamental  law  by  which  that 
people  squared  all  their  other  laws,  according  to  their 


86 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  .PRELATE. 


own  maxim,  “  Let  the  safety  of  the  people  be  the 
sovereign  law.”1  The  kirk  of  Jesus  Christ  hath  bet¬ 
ter  reason  to  think- that  the  safety  of  the  kirk  should 
be  the  rule  and  end  of  all  ecclesiastical  policy,  although 
the  form  of  external  worship  and  of  the  government 
of  the  house  of  God  were  not  prescribed  by  the  Lord 
himself  in  his  word,  but  left  arbitrary  to  men,  to  be 
framed  by  their  canons  and  constitutions,  yet  this  must 
be  held  as  infallible,  that  it  is  the  best  form  of  govern¬ 
ment  which,  by  reason  and  experience,  is  found  to  be 
best  for  the  weal  and  safety  of  the  kirk.  Unto  this 
general,  both  prelate  and  pastor  will,  without  ques¬ 
tion,  condescend;  but  they  differ  in  the  particular, 
what  this  is  wherein  the  good  and  weal  of  the  kirk 
doth  consist;  for  the  prelate  places  the  weal  of  the 
kirk  in  her  outward  peace  and  prosperity,  and  think- 
eth  the  kirk  well  constituted,  and  in  good  case,  when 
she  flourishes  in  wealth  and  worldly  dignities;  but 
herein  he  abuseth  the  Christian  world  three  ways, 
first,  that  he  measures  and  determines  the  good  estate 
of  the  kirk  by  her  outward  face,  and  not  by  her  in¬ 
ward  grace,  by  the  health  of  her  body  rather  than  of 
her  soul,  by  that  which  is  accidental  to  the  kirk,  and 
which  she  may  either  have  or  want  and  yet  continue 
a  true  kirk,  and  not  by  that  which  is  essential  and 
proper  to  the  very  nature  and  being  of  a  kirk;  second¬ 
ly,  that  he  judgeth  that  to  be  the  weal  of  the  kirk 
which  hath  many  times  proved  her  wreck,  being- 
abused,  as  commonly  it  hath  happened:  he  taketh 

l  Salas  populi  suprema  lex.  eversa  domo,  interduni  rei  public® 
status  manere  potest:  urbis  ruina,  penates  omnes  secum  trahat 
necesse  est.  Valer.  Max.,  1.  v.  c.  6. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


87 


poison  for  a  preservative,  and  surfeit  of  peace  and 
prosperity,  excess  of  wealth  and  worldly  honours, 
which  are  her  deadly  disease,  to  be  her  health  and 
best  constitution.  Too  large  bestowing  of  riches  and 
preferments  upon  the  ministers  of  the  kirk  bred  that 
contagion  within  her  bowels,  which  turned  almost  to 
her  death  in  the  end;  for  thereby  defection  grew  by 
degrees,  till  at  last,  under  the  man  of  sin,  it  came  to 
the  height.  Thirdly ,  That  he  measures  the  good 
estate  of  the  kirk  by  himself  and  the  rest  of  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  that  hierarchical  body,  as  though  it  went  well 
with  the  whole  kirk  when  bishops  stand  and  reign 
like  the  kings  of  the  nations,  and  as  though  the  min¬ 
istry  were  sufficiently  vindicated  from  poverty  and 
contempt' when  twelve  or  thirteen  of  the  number  have 
climbed  up,  like  apes,  to  the  highest  places,  that,  with 
their  evil-favoured  minions,  they  may  move  to  laugh¬ 
ter  all  that  behold  them  from  below,  or  like  fowls 
flown  up  to  the  highest  roofs,  shooting  down  their 
filthy  excrements  upon  the  rest  that  sit  in  the  lower 
rooms.  But  the  pastor  esteems  the  good  and  weal  of 
the  kirk  by  her  spiritual  estate,  that  is,  by  a  sound 
faith,  a  pure  worship,  and  a  holy  conversation;  as  she 
stands  or  decays  in  these  so  is  she  either  in  a  good 
constitution  or  languishing,  and  as  she  is  furnished 
with  all  the  means  that  may  preserve  and  increase 
these,  so  she  either  prospers  or  decays.  This  judg¬ 
ment  of  the  pastor  is  grounded  upon  very  good  rea¬ 
sons;  for  upon  this  estate  of  the  kirk  necessarily  de¬ 
pends  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  souls, 
which  are  the  two  things  that  make  the  difference 
betwixt  the  kirk  of  God  and  all  other  societies  of  men 


ss 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


in  the  world,  and,  therefore,  the  pastor  hath  reason  to 
think,  that  all  the  riches  of  the  earth,  and  all  the  glory 
of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  are  not  to  be  put  in 
balance  with  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of 
souls — that  which  God  with  his  own  blood  hath  pur¬ 
chased  and  redeemed.  Now  whether  the  good  of  the 
kirk  in  these  things  be  better  procured  and  preserved 
by  the  prelate  or  by  the  pastor,  let  them  be  typed  by 
comparing  them  in  the  particulars  following. 

1.  The  Pastor’s  principal  care  is  to  preserve  the 
purity  of  doctrine  in  the  kirk,  that  Christ’s  flock  may 
be  fed  with  the  wholesome  word  of  life,  and  to  oppose 
all  contrary  and  unprofitable  doctrine  as  poisonous 
and  pernicious  to  the  people’s  souls,  and  for  that  pur¬ 
pose  entertaineth  in  weekly  meetings  the  exercise  of 
the  word,  where  the  doctrine  delivered  by  one  is 
judged  by  all  the  rest  whether  it  be  sound  and  profit¬ 
able,  and  taketh  such  order  with  the  papists,  the  great 
corrupters  of  doctrine  and.  enemies  to  the  people’s 
souls,  that  either  he  converteth  them,  or  cutteth  them 
off  from  the  communion  of  the  kirk  with  the  spiritual 
sword,  and  exhorteth  the  magistrate  to  execute  the 
laws  made  against  them;  whereby  it  came  to  pass 
that  contrary  doctrine,  and  vain  and  curious  teaching, 
either  entered  not  into  our  kirk,  or  was  suddenly 
repressed  and  put  to  the  door,  and  papistry,  that  had 
place  before,  was  well  nigh  put  out  of  the  land. 

The  Prelate  hath  neither  leisure  nor  liking  to 
look  to  such  exercise,  and  accounts  no  heresy  so  wor¬ 
thy  his  animadversion  as  the  alleged  heresy  of  Arius 
and  his  followers.  It  is  manifest  in  history,  from  the 
beginning,  that  the  heresies  that  most  have  endan- 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


89 


gered  the  kirk,  have  either  been  devised  by  the  engines, 
or  favoured  and  borne  out  by  the  authority  and  credit, 
of  prelates;  and  even  now  divers  false  and  dangerous 
doctrines  are  partly  vented  and  partly  winked  at  by 
them;1  neither  thinketh  he  papists  great  enemies  to 
the  kirk;  but  as  the  Jewish  priests  entertained  the 
Sadducees,  albeit  enemies  to  true  religion,  and  hated 
Christians  as  their  deadly  foes,  and  as  the  papist  can 
agree  with  the  formal  protestant,  but  thinks  the  uncon- 
formable  Calvinist  his  irreconcileable  enemy,  so  the 
prelate  could  agree  with  the  common  papist,  for  all 
his  blasphemous  doctrine  and  profession,  because  he 
is  a  friend  to  his  hierarchy,  but  the  reformed  Christian, 
whom  he  calleth  the  Calvinist  and  puritan,  he  can  by 
no  means  bear,  because  he  is  professedly  unfriendly 
to  his  hierarchy.  A  prelate,  as  a  prelate,  is  not  oppo¬ 
site  to  the  papist  but  to  the  protestant. 

2.  The  Pastor,  knowing  that  a  little  leaven  leaven- 
eth  the  whole  lump,  thinketh  it  dangerous  for  the  peo¬ 
ple’s  souls  to  borrow  either  the  substance  or  the  cere¬ 
mony  of  religion  from  antichristian  corruption,  and, 
therefore  warneth  the  people  to  beware  of  the  least 
beginnings  or  appearances  of  evil;  and,  while  he  de¬ 
liberates  about  ceremonies  fittest  for  order  and  decen¬ 
cy,  he  intends  nothing  of  his  own,  but  the  edification 
of  the  kirk,  and  in  the  practice  of  ceremonies  and  cir¬ 
cumstances  orderly  appointed,  he  looketh  to  the  peace 
of  the  kirk,  that  it  be  not  broken,  and  to  the  con¬ 
sciences  of  the  weak,  that  they  be  not  offended. 

The  Prelate  liketh  to  symbolize  with  antichrist’s 

l  As  Christ’s  real  descent  into  hell,  and  many  Lutheran,  Armin- 
ian  and  popish  errors. 


7 


90 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


ceremonies,  putting  the  papists  in  hope  that  the  body 
and  substance  of  their  superstition  may  be  resumed 
by  time,  where  the  shadows  and  ceremonies  are  so 
highly  regarded.  He  intends  nothing  in  appointing 
them  but  the  maintenance  of  his  own  estate  and  dig¬ 
nity,  because  he  seeth  and  saith,  “  No  ceremony,  no 
bishop and  in  practice  is  more  earnest  in  urging  of 
ceremonies  than  of  obedience  to  the  greatest  things  of 
the  law,  and  by  the  canons  about  matters  which  they 
themselves  call  indifferent,  doth  violence  either  to  the 
bodies  or  consciences  of  the  people  that  think  other¬ 
wise,  and  maketh  them  to  serve  as  rods  to  scourge 
and  whip  out  of  the  kirk  and  ministry  whom  and 
when  they  think  good. 

3.  The  Pastor,  considering  that  he  is  called  to  feed 
the  flock  of  Christ,  and  to  care  for  the  people’s  souls, 
in  his  entry  to  the  ministry  will  be  loath  to  undertake 
a  greater  charge  than  he  can  in  some  measure  over¬ 
take;  and  the  less  his  charge  is  the  greater  is  his  con¬ 
tentment,  not  that  he  desireth  to  be  idle,  but  to  be 
faithful.  When  he  is  entered,  he  hath  the  work  of 
the  ministry  in  singular  regard,  as  the  most  honoura¬ 
ble  and  laborious  work  that  he  can  be  employed  about, 
whereof  the  best  man  is  not  worthy,  and  unto  which 
the  whole  man  is  not  sufficient,  and,  therefore,  is  resi¬ 
dent  among  the  people,  serving  not  by  deputies  and 
suffragans,  but  in  his  own  person,  and  is  altogether 
taken  up  with  the  pastor’s  duties,  of  preaching,  pray¬ 
ing?  catechising,  visiting,  exhorting,  rebuking,  comfort¬ 
ing,  &c.,  but  labours  most  diligently  in  the  word  and 
doctrine,  because  faith  corneth  by  the  word  preached. 

The  Prelate,  intending  nothing  but  to  feed  him- 


THE  PASTOH  AND  THE  PRELATE.  91 

self,  at  his  entry  to  his  prelacy  regards  not  so  much 
the  number  of  souls  he  should  feed,  as  the  number  of 
chalders,  the  large  revenues,  and  the  great  dignities 
he  is  to  feed  upon,  and  the  larger  his  diocese  the  bet¬ 
ter  for  him;  hence  it  is  that  he  ascends  from  a  diocesan 
to  an  archbishop  and  a  primate.  After  he  is  entered 
he  aisdaineth  the  work  of  the  ministry,  as  base  and 
unworthy  of  his  grace  and  great  lordship  ;  he  serveth 
by  his  deputies  and  suffragans,  and  thinks  it  a  more 
honourable  and  necessary  employment  to  attend  and 
reside  at  court,  or  at  the  places  of  civil  judgment,  as 
council,  session,  exchequer;  and  although  he  appro¬ 
priates  to  himself  the  reward  of  double  honour  due  to 
them  who  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine,  yet  he 
thinks  that  he  is  not  bound  to  take  the  pains  of  that 
work  unto  which  the  double  honour  is  annexed.  So 
the  pastor  must  labour  in  the  work  and  the  prelate 
must  reap  the  reward;  and,  what  is  more  prejudicial 
to  the  people’s  souls,  he  maintained!  that  learned  and 
qualified  preachers  are  not  so  necessary  in  congrega¬ 
tions  as  curates  and  readers,  that  there  is  too  much 
preaching  and  too  little  reading  and  praying, — mean¬ 
ing  nothing  else  than  their  confused  liturgy. 

4.  The  Pastor  dare  not  do  harm  to  the  people’s 
souls,  because  he  is  subject  both  in  calling  and  conver¬ 
sation  to  the  discipline  of  the  kirk,  which  striketh 
upon  the  pastor  as  well  as  upon  the  people;  and  to 
bring  the  transgressors  to  repentance  he  sitteth  with 
his  brethren  in  session,  presbytery  and  assembly,  ad¬ 
ministering  the  holy  discipline  holily,  that  is,  in  sin¬ 
cerity  and  faithfulness,  without  prejudice  or  partiality, 
and  never  ceasing  till  the  scandal  be  removed,  the 


92 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


kirk  be  purged,  and  the  offender,  if  it  be  possible,  be 
won  unto  God;  and  all  this,  as  being  Christ’s  own 
work,  he  doth  with  Christ’s  own  weapons,  that  is, 
with  the  spiritual  sword  of  the  word,  which  is  mighty 
through  God  to  subdue  every  thing  exalting  itself 
against  God,  and  to  bring  sinners  to  repentance. 

The  Prelate  may  do  what  harm  he  will  for  his 
own  tyrannical  custom  and  practice,  but  not  by  any 
law  either  of  kirk  or  state.  He  exempteth  himself,  in 
respect  of  his  episcopal  administration  and  as  he  is  a 
prelate,  from  all  censure,  and  scorneth  to  submit  him¬ 
self  to  any  ecclesiastical  judicature,  albeit  the  chief 
apostles  submitted  themselves  unto  the  kirk,  and  albeit 
there  be  no  subject  in  a  kingdom,  of  whatsoever  qual¬ 
ity  or  condition,  but  in  every  respect  he  is  Under  the 
control  of  some  judicature  in  the  land  where  he  liv- 
eth;  and  as  he  is  thus  singularly  lawless  of  himself, 
so,  pretending  the  sole  power  of  proceeding  to  belong 
to  him  by  virtue  of  his  place  and  office,  he  swayeth 
the  course  of  discipline  as  best  pleaseth  his  lordship; 
processes  begun  for  trying  of  slanders,  if  the  party, 
never  so  wicked,  have  argument  of  weight  for  my 
lord  or  his  receiver,  are  incontinently,  by  the  word  of 
his  monarchical  authority,  stricken  dead.  Hereby  it 
cometh  to  pass,  that  where  prelates  rule  sin  reigneth, 
and  the  nearer  the  bishop’s  wings  the  greater  liberty 
for  sin,  as  is  seen  in  their  own  houses  and  trains. 
And  for  this  reason  is  it  that  both  atheists  and  papists 
like  the  episcopal  discipline  better  than  the  pastoral, 
which  they  call  strait-laced,  because  it  troubleth  their 
corruption,  whereas  the  other  layeth  the  reins  upon 
their  necks.  And  if  the  prelate  happen  to  proceed 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


93 


against  offenders,  his  discipline  consists  not  so  much 
in  spiritual  censure  as  in  worldly  power  and  civil  pun¬ 
ishment,  as  fining,  confining,  imprisoning,  &c.,  which 
have  no  power  to  work  upon  the  consciences  of  sin¬ 
ners  to  bring  them  to  repentance,  though  this  be  what 
is  sought  by  the  preachers  of  the  gospel,  and  the  chief 
end  of  kirk  discipline. 

5.  The  Pastor,  for  the  good  of  the  kirk,  is  desirous 
that  the  assemblies  of  the  kirk,  provincial  and  national, 
be  often  held  and  well  kept,  knowing  how  necessary 
they  are  for  redressing  things  amiss,  for  fulfilling  things 
omitted,  and  for  preventing  evils  that  are  like  to  en¬ 
sue:  and  when  the  assembly  is  convened  he  carrieth 
himself  toward  his  brethren  as  toward  the  servants  of 
Christ  and  colleagues  of  equal  authority,  none  pre¬ 
suming  to  any  place  or  pre-eminence,  though  of  order 
only  and  not  of  power,  without  the  calling  and  con¬ 
sent  of  his  fellow  brethren.  There  every  one  hath 
liberty  to  utter  his  mind,  and  every  one  is  ready 
with  the  gift  that  God  hath  given  him,  as  the  divers 
members  of  one  body,  for  the  good  of  the  whole 
kirk:  meek  Moses  and  burning  Elias,  Isaiah  with 
his  trumpet  and  Aaron  with  his  bells,  Boanerges 
and  Barjonah,  the  son  of  thunder  and  the  son  of  the 
dove,  all  moved  by  one  spirit,  with  mutual  respect, 
reverence  and  brotherly  love,  join  together  in  one  con¬ 
clusion,  and  if  at  any  time  they  be  of  different  judg¬ 
ments,  they  are  not  sudden  and  summary  in  conclud¬ 
ing  things  of  importance  that  concern  the  whole,  but 
that  all  may  be  done  with  uniform  consent,  after  the 
example  of  the  apostles,  Acts  xv.,  the  conclusion  is 
delayed  till  all  objections  be  satisfied,  and  God  give 


94 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


greater  light  to  such  as  are  otherwise  minded  ;  and  so, 
to  the  great  good  of  the  kirk,  both  peace  and  truth 
are  preserved. 

The  Prelate  is  as  averse  to  a  free  assembly  as  the 
Pope  is  to  a  free  general  council,  and,  therefore,  will 
either  have  none  at  all,  or  will  have  them  so  slavish  as  if 
they  were  but  his  ecclesiastical  courts,  convened  under 
him  and  in  his  name.  When  this  assembly  is  convened, 
at  his  own  hand,  without  calling  or  election,  he  taketh 
upon  him  to  preside  and  moderate.  There  no  man  hath 
liberty  to  utter  his  mind  before  him  who  hath  power  to 
raise  up  and  cast  down,  to  enlarge  and  restrain,  to  pre¬ 
fer  and  postpone,  or  put  in  and  put  out  at  his  pleasure; 
and,  therefore,  no  man’s  gift  in  such  meetings  doth 
good  to  the  kirk.  And  if  it  happen  that  his  course 
be  crossed,  and  the  best  sort  oppose,  then  he  rageth, 
and  by  his  proud  boastings  and  unreasonable  railings 
he  playeth  the  prelate  indeed,  using  Christ’s  ministers 
and  the  kirk’s  commissioners  no  better  than  if  they 
were  his  slaves  or  lackeys,  convened  to  say  amen  to 
all  his  intentions,  and  to  wait  upon  oracles  falling  from 
his  mouth.  In  the  end  the  plurality  of  voices  of  the 
weaker  sort,  and  for  the  most  part  either  emendicated 
or  extorted,  carrieth  away  the  sentence  which  must 
oblige  all,  and,  therefore,  besides  the  tyrannies  and 
unjust  proceedings,  proveth  afterward,  to  the  great 
hurt  of  the  kirk,  to  be  the  cause  of  many  evils  and 
great  divisions. 

6.  The  Pastor,  in  planting  of  kirks  and  placing  of 
ministers  without  respect  to  any  man’s  private  judg¬ 
ment  or  affection,  with  common  consent  maketh  choice 
of  the  best  qualified  for  graces  and  manners,  and  most 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


95 


fit  for  the  people  he  is  to  be  set  over,  and  that  with 
their  own  special  advice  and  desire  ;  so  that  he  giveth 
not  the  kirk  to  the  minister  but  the  minister  to  the 
kirk;  and  in  the  act  of  ordination,  at  the  place  where 
he  shall  serve,  and  in  presence  of  the  whole  congre¬ 
gation,  he  requireth  of  the  entrant  neither  oath  nor 
promise  but  what  is  appointed  of  the  assemblies  of 
the  whole  kirk,  as  constancy  in  the  faith,  obedience  to 
the  king,  and  fidelity  in  his  calling;  and,  after  he  is 
admitted,  he  respecteth  him  as  the  conjunct  ambassa¬ 
dor  of  Christ,  equal  in  power  and  authority  with  him¬ 
self,  with  no  difference  but  of  age  and  gifts. 

The  Prelate,  excluding  both  the  flock  whom  the 
pastor  is  to  feed,  and  the  fellow-ministers  with  whom 
he  is  to  labour  in  the  work,— except  it  be  superficially 
and  for  the  fashion,  when  now  the  prelate  and  his  do¬ 
mestics  (who  have  greater  hand  in  the  planting  of 
kirks  than  both  presbytery  and  people,)  have  brought 
the  matter  to  the  point  of  ordination, — giveth  the  kirk 
to  the  minister  rather  than  the  minister  to  the  kirk,1 
whereof  there  flow  such  innumerable  evils,  that  the 
kirk  hath  as  just  cause  to  complain  now  of  the  placing 
of  ministers  by  bishops  as  the  kirk  had  of  old  of  the 
planting  of  bishops  through  the  corruption  of  arch¬ 
bishops  and  metropolitans.  The  ordination  must  be 
at  the  place  of  the  prelate’s  residence,  and  not  at  the 
kirk  where  he  shall  serve,  nor  in  presence  of  the  con¬ 
gregation:2  then  is  the  entrant  forced,  without  any 

1  Dignitatibus  viros  dandos,  non  dignitates  hominibus  dicere  soli- 
tus.  iEneas  Syl.  Platina.  Magistrates  alios  raereri,  et  non  habere : 
alios  habere,  et  non  mereri.  Ib. 

2  Praesidentia  non  ex  virtute  sed  malitia  testimatur,  non  dignorum 


96  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 

pretext  of  warrant  from  the  kirk,  to  give  his  oath  and 
subscription  to  articles  of  the  prelate’s  devising,  for 
maintenance  of  his  episcopal  authority,  even  as  the 
Pope  doth  in  consecrating  bishops  and  archbishops, 
for  the  establishing  of  his  universal  supremacy.  When 
he  is  admitted,  albeit  for  gifts  and  in  all  other  respects 
he  be  worthy  of  double  honour,  far  above  the  prelate 
himself,  yet  the  prelate  contemneth  him  and  his  bre¬ 
thren,  as  poor  presbyters,  with  double  contempt. 
Whereupon  we  see,  that  the  prelates  and  others,  by 
their  example  and  doing,  esteem  not  ministers  for  their 
worth  and  their  work’s  sake,  but  as  they  are  in  places 
of  preferment,  and  as  they  are  clothed  with  offices  and 
titles  of  dignity  above  their  fellows;  and  this,  again, 
makes  worldly-minded  ministers  to  seek  esteem  by 
greatness  rather  than  by  goodness. 

7.  The  Pastor  procureth  the  peace  of  the  kirk  by 
following  after  the  things  which  make  for  peace ;  Rom. 
xiv.;  for  by  the  discipline  and  assemblies  of  the  kirk 
he  preserveth  verity,  without  which  there  is  either  no 
unity,  or  such  unity  as  is  but  a  conspiracy,  and  resist- 
eth  heresy,  the  mother  of  the  greatest  divisions.  So 
long  as  our  assemblies  had  their  liberty,  there  could 
arise  no  heresy  among  us;  if  it  had  broken  out  in  a 

sed  potentiorum  sunt  throni,  cathedra  sine  ullo  acquiritur  labore,  et 
prelati  sunt  qui  nihil  ad  gradum  prceterquam  velle,  adferunt.  Nazianz. 
Si  percunctari  velles  quis  eos  pnefecerit,  sacerdotes  respondent  mox, 
et  dicunt,  ab  archiepiscopo  nuper  sum  episcopus  ordinatus,  centumque 
ei  solidos  dedi,  ut  episcopalem  gradum  assequi  meruissem,  quos  si 
minime  dedissem,  hodie  episcopus  non  essem.  Ambros.  citante  Bul¬ 
ling.  decad.  5,  serm.  4.  Curritur  ad  curas  ecclesiasticas,  a  doctis  pa- 
riter  et  indoctis,  quasi  quisque  sine  curis  victurus  sit,  cum  ad  curas 
pervenerit.  Bern,  epist.  42. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


97 


parish,  a  consistory  or  presbytery  would  have  borne 
it  down ;  or  if  it  had  proceeded  further,  then  the  sy¬ 
nod,  or  if  it  had  not  been  able,  the  national  assembly, 
would  have  suppressed  it.  For  the  same  reason  the 
Kirk  of  France,  which  was  nearest  to  ours,  hath  been 
free  of  heresy.  In  the  low  countries,  if  the  kirks  had 
enjoyed  the  liberty  of  their  assemblies,  which  they 
wanted  for  a  long  time,  Arminianism  had  neither 
troubled  them  nor  their  neighbours.  He  never  can 
find  in  his  heart  to  urge  or  enforce  unprofitable  and 
untimely  ceremonies  upon  the  kirk,  if  it  were  for  no 
other  cause  but  that  they  have  been  the  apples  of  con¬ 
tention,  and  the  cause  of  many  schisms,  and  will  choose 
rather,  with  Jonah,  to  redeem  the  quietness  and  safety 
of  the  kirk  with  the  loss  of  himself,  than  for  his  own 
particular  ends  to  raise  the  smallest  tempest  that  may 
peril  her  peace;  he  carrieth  himself  no  otherwise  in  his 
ministry  than  becometh  the  humble  servant  of  the 
kirk,  and  feareth  to  be  affected  with  Diotrephes’  ambi¬ 
tious  humour  of  aspiring  above  his  brethren,  which  is 
a  special  preservative  of  peace:  he  studieth  to  preserve 
holiness,  without  which  there  can  be  no  sound  nor 
wholesome  peace;  he  is  ever  at  war  with  that  which 
is  contrary  to  holiness,  and  sendeth  away  all  scandal¬ 
ous  livers  with  the  workers  of  iniquity,  that  peace 
may  be  upon  the  Israel  of  God,  Psal.  xxv. 

The  Prelate  is  accounted  a  peaceable  man,  and 
pretends  always  the  peace  of  the  kirk,  but  indeed 
seeketh  his  own  peace  and  prosperity,  and  opposeth 
the  things  that  make  for  peace ;  for,  if  it  serve  for  his 
own  particular  end,  he  can  overlook  papists  and  here¬ 
tics,  and  suffer  heresy  to  rise  and  spread  itself,  that  the 


9S 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


kirk  may  have  some  other  thing  to  think  upon  than 
his  episcopacy,  and  may  have  himself  to  run  unto, 
instead  of  assemblies:  he  careth  not  to  make  schism, 
and  will  fight  with  tooth  and  nail  for  unlawful  and 
unprofitable  ceremonies,  which  have  ever  proved  the 
cause  of  schism,  and,  ere  he  redeem  the  kirk’s  peace, 
by  casting  out  these  cumbersome  wares,  he  will  rather 
cast  overboard  many  worthy  ministers,  suffer  numbers 
of  souls,  for  Avhom  Christ  hath  died,  to  perish,  and  the 
kirk  of  Christ,  tossed  with  troubles  by  occasion  of  that 
noisome  baggage,  to  sink  at  last  under  the  burden. 
Contention  also  cometh  by  his  pride  and  ambition ; 
for,  first,  great  places  make  great  emulation  and  hot 
competition,  as  may  be  seen  in  Christ’s  own  apostles, 
and  history  maketh  known  in  many  others  what  de¬ 
bate  and  contention,  what  war  and  bloodshed,  prelacy 
hath  brought  forth  in  the  Christian  world,  between 
kirk  and  kirk  contending  for  primacy,  prelate  and 
prelate  for  presidency,  pope  and  pope  for  papacy,  be¬ 
tween  kings  and  bishops  for  sovereignty, — as  between 
the  Roman  emperors  and  Roman  bishops,  the  kings 
of  England  and  the  primates  of  England.1 

8.  The  Pastor  contents  himself  with  such  a  com¬ 
petent  stipend  as  is  assigned  to  him  for  his  service, 
whereby  he  hath  neither  the  means  to  swell  in  pride 
and  wealth  nor  matter  of  excess  or  superfluity.  And 
as  he  hath  but  one  body,  so  he  undertaketh  but  one 
cure,  where  he  must  be  resident,  and  one  kirk-living, 

l  Sicut  olira  pcstiferam  illam  bestiam,  quee  per  Ariam  primo  de 
infernis  extulerat  caput,  cupiditas  episcopatus  induxit:  sic  hodiernam 
hoeresin  (nimirum  pontificis  Romani  primatum)  prsecipue  nutriunt, 
quos  jam  mendicare  suppudet,  iEneas  Syl. 

1 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


99 


which,  for  fear  of  the  censures  of  the  kirk,  albeit  he 
would,  he  dares  not  dilapidate,  but  must  leave  the 
kirk  patrimony  in  as  good  or  better  case  than  he  found 
it  at  his  entry. 

The  Prelate  hath  a  lord’s  rent  out  of  the  revenues 
of  the  kirk,  which  at  the  first  was  destined,  and  should 
be  employed  for  better  uses,  and  this  he  hath  not  for 
the  service  of  the  kirk,  but  partly  for  his  unlawful 
attending  civil  affairs,  and,  partly,  for  bearing  out  a 
lordly  port  in  himself,  his  lady,  their  children  and  fol¬ 
lowers.  He  uniteth  kirks  far  distant  to  make  the 
morsel  the  greater  for  his  wide  gorge :  he  alloweth 
and  defendeth  pluralities  and  non-residencies,  by  set¬ 
ting  long  tacks  without  knowledge  or  consent  of  the 
kirk,  and  by  setting  of  few  forms  and  taxwards  he 
raketh  up  all,  and  stinteth  the  minister  to  a  poor  sti¬ 
pendiary  portion  of  five  hundred  merks;  so  that  the 
most  sacrilegious  persons  in  the  land  are  the  bishops 
themselves, — eating  the  meat  out  of  the  mouths  of 
many  worthy  pastors  that  labour  in  the  Lord’s  work. 

The  Prelate's  objection. — The  Prelate  will  ob¬ 
ject,  that  there  shall  never  be  any  form  of  kirk  gov¬ 
ernment  or  discipline  which  bringeth  not  with  it  some 
dangers  and  discommodities,  and  that  that  must  be  the 
best  which  hath  the  fewest.  It  cannot  be  denied  but 
the  episcopal  government  hath  also  its  own  inconve¬ 
niences,  whether  we  consider  the  salvation  of  souls, 
or  the  outward  constitution  of  the  kirk  and  worship 
of  God,  or  the  patrimony  of  the  kirk  ;  but  the  anarchy 
and  confusion  which  ever  attendeth  the  parity  main¬ 
tained  by  the  pastor,  is  an  inconvenience  greater  than 
all,  and  showeth  plainly  that  the  parity  of  pastors  is 


100 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


neither  of  God,  nor  can  serve  for  the  good  of  the  kirk; 
for  God  is  not  the  God  of  confusion,  but  of  peace,  and 
most  of  all  in  the  kirks  of  the  saints. 

The  Pastor’s  answer. — The  government  and  order 
appointed  by  Christ  can  have  no  danger,  discommodi¬ 
ty  nor  inconvenience  but  such  as  men  bring  upon  it, 
and  which,  through  the  neglect  or  contempt  thereof, 
they  bring  upon  themselves.  That,  therefore,  must 
be  the  best  which  is  best  warranted  by  Christ  and  ap- 
proacheth  nearest  to  the  simplicity  of  the  apostles  and 
the  discipline  of  their  times.  Malignant  wits  have 
ever  been  ready  to  lay  imputations  upon  God’s  ordi¬ 
nances, — as  that  his  inward  worship,  according  to  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  hath  no  wisdom,  that  the  outward 
hath  no  majesty,  that  his  order  of  the  kirk  is  but  anar¬ 
chy,  because  it  is  not  a  monarchy;  but,  as  the  natural 
philosopher  seeth  the  order  of  nature  to  be  full  of 
beauty,  and  the  wise  statesman  seeth  the  beauty  of 
the  order  of  a  wise  policy,  so  the  Christian,  when  he 
seeth  the  order  of  the  house  of  God,  shall,  with  the 
apostle  (Col.  ii.,)  rejoice  to  see  it,  and  will  prefer  the 
beauty  thereof  to  the  wise  government  of  the  house 
and  court  of  Solomon,  as  being  appointed  by  a  wiser 
than  he ;  even  Balaam,  albeit  disposed  to  curse,  when 
his  eyes  were  opened  to  behold  this  wise  order  and 
marvellous  beauty,  shall  be  forced  to  open  his  lips, 
and  to  say,  “  How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  0  Jacob,  and 
thy  tabernacles,  0  Israel !  For  a  house  full  of  silver 
and  gold  I  would  not  curse;  for  how  shall  I  curse 
whom  the  Lord  hath  not  cursed?  or  how  shall  I  defy 
whom  the  Lord  hath  not  defied?”  Numb,  xxiii.  24. 
And  that  there  is  no  confusion  in  the  parity  maintain- 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


101 


ed  by  the  pastor,  is  manifest  to  him  that  desireth  to 
see;  for, 

1st,  Confusion  hath  no  subordination  for  disposing 
of  things,  and  setting  every  thing  in  its  own  place. 

The  parity  maintained  by  the  pastor  hath  a  lawful 
subordination  of  elders  to  pastors,  of  deacons  to  elders, 
of  a  kirk-session  to  a  presbytery,  of  a  presbytery  to  a 
synod,  and  of  a  synod  to  a  national  assembly. 

2d,  Confusion  hath  no  priority  in  respect  of  prece¬ 
dency  nor  of  order. 

Parity  of  pastors  so  shunneth  ambition,  that  it  main- 
taineth  a  priority  of  precedency  and  respect  for  age, 
for  zeal,  for  gifts,  &C.,1  and  a  priority  of  order,  where¬ 
by  one  is  moderator  of  others  in  all  their  synods  and 
meetings,  such  as  was  amongst  the  apostles  themselves, 
but  without  priority  of  power  or  jurisdiction  above 
the  rest. 

3d,  Confusion  admitteth  no  commandment  nor  sub¬ 
jection. 

Parity  of  pastor  admitteth  both;  for  every  pastor 
conducteth  his  own  flock,  and  every  pastor  is  subject 
to  a  joint  fellowship  of  pastors  in  presbyteries  and 
synods. 

4th,  Confusion  is  abhorred,  both  by  nature  and  by 
all  societies,  as  their  greatest  enemy,  which  over- 
turneth  all  where  it  hath  place. 

Parity  of  pastors  hath  the  like  parity  both  in  nature 
and  all  sorts  of  society ;  for  in  nature  one  eye  hath 
not  power  over  another,  nor  one  hand  over  another, 
nor  one  foot  over  another,  only  the  head  hath  power 

l  Distinguendum  inter  auctoritatem  meriti  et  potestatis. 

8 


102 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


over  all.  In  the  commonwealth  and  kingdom  there 
is  a  parity  without  a  priority  of  power  or  jurisdiction 
betwixt  one  baron  and  another,  and  betwixt  one  no¬ 
bleman  and  another,  and  in  all  the  collegial  jurisdic¬ 
tions  in  the  land  under  the  king  himself;  in  the  world 
parity  betwixt  one  king  and  another;  in  the  Roman 
kirk  equality  betwixt  one  lord  bishop  and  another, 
and  betwixt  two  archbishops,  patriarchs,  &c.;  and  in 
the  kirk  of  Christ,  betwixt  apostle  and  apostle,  &c. ; 
why,  then,  shall  the  divine  parity  of  pastors  be  ac¬ 
counted  a  confusion? 


PART  VI. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  PRELATE  COMPARED  BY  THE  GOOD  OF  THE  COMMON¬ 
WEALTH  AND  OF  OUR  OUTWARD  ESTATE. 

It  is  best  both  for  kirk  and  state  when  civil  and  ecclesiastical  au¬ 
thority  join  together. — Civil  authority  doth  good  to  religion. — Re¬ 
ligion  doth  good  to  the  whole  commonwealth. — The  best  religion  is 
best  for  the  state. — The  pastor  preserveth  the  commonwealth,  which 
the  prelate  ruineth. — The  pastor  loveth  Christian  simplicity,  and 
not  Machiavel’s  policy  ;  the  prelate  liketh  policy  more  than  that  sim¬ 
plicity. — The  pastor  distinguisheth  betwixt  things  civil  and  eccle¬ 
siastical,  and  holdeth  him  at  his  own  calling;  the  prelate  con- 
foundeth  all,  and  will  rule  all. — The  pastor  assisteth  the  civil 
magistrate;  the  prelate  hindereth  him. — The  pastor  profitable  to 
the  commonwealth,  but  not  chargeable;  the  prelate  chargeable, 
but  not  profitable. — The  pastor  a  maintainor  of  schools  and  learn¬ 
ing;  the  prelate  of  neither. — The  pastor’s  government  by  assem¬ 
blies  fitter  for  a  monarchy  than  the  episcopal  government. — The 
pastor  taketh  no  man’s  title,  nor  dignity,  nor  place ;  the  prelate 
taketh  all  these  from  the  nobles  and  peers  of  the  land. — The  pastor 
maketh  the  minds,  the  bodies  and  estates  of  the  people  fit  for  war; 
the  prelate  disableth  all. — Objection,  The  estates  of  parliament 
cannot  bear  the  severity  of  pastors,  nor  want  the  prelates  to  be  the 
third  estate. — Answer,  Showing  that  the  faithful  pastor  will  at 
some  time  be  found  comfortable  to  all  estates,  and  that  the  parlia¬ 
ment  may  be  perfect  without  the  prelates. — Conclusion ,  A  general 
objection  answered. 

Albeit  that  sometimes  the  power  ecclesiastical  be 
without  the  secular,  and  the  members  of  the  kirk 
make  not  any  civil  corporation,  as  in  the  apostles’ 


104 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


times  and  long  after;  and  sometimes  the  secular  power 
be  without  the  ecclesiastical,  and  the  members  of  king- 
koms  and  corporations  make  not  a  kirk,  as  amongst 
the  heathen  of  old,  and  many  nations  and  societies  this 
day;  yet  is  it  far  best,  both  for  religion  and  justice, 
both  for  truth  and  peace,  both  for  kirk  and  common¬ 
wealth,  when  both  are  joined  in  one, — when  the 
magistrate  hath  both  swords,  the  use  of  the  temporal 
sword,  and  the  benefit  of  the  spiritual  sword,  and 
when  the  kirk  hath  both  swords,  the  use  of  the  spi¬ 
ritual  sword,  and  the  benefit  of  the  temporal, — when 
the  two  administrations,  civil  and  ecclesiastical,  like 
Moses  and  Aaron,  help  one  another  mutually,  and 
neither  Aaron  nor  Miriam  murmur  against  Moses, 
nor  Jeroboam  stretcheth  out  his  hand  against  the  man 
of  God.  Upon  the  one  part,  civil  authority  main- 
taineth  and  defendeth  religion  where  it  is  reformed, 
and  reformeth  religion  where  it  is  corrupted.  “  Kings 
shall  be  thy  nursing-fathers  and  queens  thy  nursing- 
mothers.”1  “  Kings,  serve  the  Lord  in  fear.”2  “And 
then  serve  they  the  Lord,”  saith  Augustine,  “  when 
they  serve  him  not  only  faithfully  as  men,  but  as  kings, 
and  do  such  things  in  serving  him  as  none  can  do  but 
kings,  that  is,  when  they  rest  not  till  religion  be  estab¬ 
lished,  and  God  served  in  their  dominions  according 
to  his  own  word.”3  It  hath  ever  been  the  greatest 

'•j  .  ■  ^  ■ 

i  Isaiah  xlix.  23.  2  Psalm  ii.  11. 

3  Quomodo  ergo  reges  domino  serviunt  in  timore,  nisi  ea  qure 
contra  jussa  domini  sunt,  religiosa  severitate  probibendo  atque  plec- 
tendo?  aliter  enim  servit  quia  homo  est,  aliter  quia  etiam  rex  est: 
quia  homo  est  ei  servit  fideliter  vivendo,  quia  vero  etiam  rex  est,  ser¬ 
vit  leges  justa  prtecipientes,  et  contraria  prohibentes,  convenienti  ri« 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  105 

commendation  of  princes,  that  they  have  begun  their 
government  with  the  reformation  of  religion,  as  many 
worthy  princes  hath  done  both  before  and  after  the 
coming  of  Christ,  (for  God  preferreth  kings  above  all 
others,  and,  therefore,  kings  should  haste  to  honour 
God  above  all  others,)  or,  that  they  have  exceeded  all 
who  went  before  them  in  this  religious  and  royal 
chair.  Asa  took  away  idolatry,  but  Jehosaphat  re¬ 
moved  the  high  places  also;  Hezekiah  went  further, 
and  brake  the  brazen  serpent,  albeit  a  monument  of 
God’s  mercy ;  but  this  was  the  sin  of  his  reformation, 
that  he  razed  not  the  idol  temples,  which  was  kept  to 
good  Josiah,  who,  therefore,  hath  this  testimony  to  the 
end  of  the  world,  that  like  unto  him  there  was  no  king 
before  him,  that  turned  to  the  Lord  with  all  his  heart, 
with  all  his  soul,  and  with  all  his  might.  Upon  the  other 
part,  true  religion,  although  it  propone  for  the  principal 
ends  the  glory  of  God  and  the  safety  of  the  kirk,  yet  it 
serveth  many  ways  for  the  civil  good  and  worldly  bene¬ 
fit  of  kings  and  kingdoms;  because  the  true  religion, 
and  no  other,  maketh  kings  and  kingdoms  to  serve  that 
God  that  giveth  both  heavenly  and  earthly  kingdoms, 

— who  looseth  the  bands  of  kings  and  girdeth  their 

> 

gore  sanciendo  sicut  servivit  Ezechias  lucos,  et  templa  idolorum,  et 
ilia  excelsa  quae  contra  praecepta  Dei  fuerunt  constructa,  destruendo. 
Sicut  servivit  Josias  talia  et  ipse  faciendo.  Sicut  servivit  rex  Ninevi- 
tarum  universam  civitatem  ad  placandum  Dominum  compellendo. 
Sicut  servivit  Darius  idolum  frangendum  in  potestatem  Danieli  dando, 
et  inimicos  ejus  leonibus  ingerendo.  Sicut  servivit  Nebuchad.  omnes 
in  regno  suo  positos,  a  blasphemando  Deo  lege  terribili  prohibendo. 
In  hoc  ergo  serviunt  Domino  reges,  in  quantum  sunt  reges,  cum  ea 
faciunt  ad  serviendum  illi,  quae  non  possunt  facere  nisi  reges.  August, 
epist.  serin,  ad.  Bonifacium. 


8* 


106 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


loins  with  a  girdle,1 — who  is  the  only  Judge,  that  put- 
tetli  down  one  and  setteth  up  another  ;  and,  therefore, 
godliness  hath  the  promise,  and  true  religion  hath  many 
blessings  attending  it.  It  is  a  blessed  thing  when  a 
king  or  a  kingdom  serveth  that  God  by  whom  kings 
reign,  and  who  giveth  and  taketh  away  kingdoms  at 
his  pleasure ;  next,  because  it  qualifieth  and  dis- 
poseth  every  man  for  his  own  place; — it  maketh  rulers 
to  know  that  every  kingdom  is  under  a  greater  king¬ 
dom,  and,  as  they  are  advanced  above  all  others,  that 
they  have  so  much  the  greater  account  to  make;2 — it 
maketh  the  subjects  to  obey  for  conscience’  sake,  and 
subdueth  the  people  under  their  prince,  which  made 
Theodosius  to  acknowledge  that  his  empire  consisted 
more  by  the  Christian  religion  than  by  all  other  means; 
— it  keepeth  true  peace,  both  public  and  private,  and 
when  peace  can  be  no  longer  kept,  it  followeth  after 
it  to  find  it  again; — it  maketh  men  just  and  temperate 
in  time  of  peace,  not  by  restraint,  which  positive  laws 
do,  but  by  mortification; — with  Christians  to  think 
that  wickedness  is  sin.  “  Whether  of  the  two  com¬ 
manded!  more  fully,”  says  Tertullian,  “he  who  saith, 
‘  thou  shalt  not  kill/  or  he  who  saith,  ‘  thou  shalt  not 
be  angry?’  Which  of  the  two  is  more  perfect,  to  for¬ 
bid  adultery  or  to  restrain  the  eyes  from  concupis¬ 
cence?”  &c. ; — it  maketh  every  man  to  practise  Chris¬ 
tianity  in  the  particular  duties  of  his  calling; — in  the 
time  of  war  it  maketh  men  courageous,  and  to  fear 
none  but  Him  that  can  kill  the  soul ; — in  persecution 

1  Hostis  Herodes  irapie,  Christum  venire  quid  times  ?  non  eripit 
mortalia,  qui  regna  dat  ccelestia.  Sedulius  Hymn. 

2  Omne  sub  regno  gravior,  regnum  est.  Senec.  Traged. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


107 


it  giveth  invincible  patience ; — without  confusion  it 
giveth  at  all  times  unto  God  that  which  is  God’s,  and 
unto  Caesar  that  which  is  Caesar’s  ;  and,  without  usur¬ 
pation  or  injury  to  any,  it  giveth  unto  noblemen,  states¬ 
men,  barons,  burgesses,  and  all,  from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest  in  the  kingdom,  their  own  places,  prefer¬ 
ments  and  privileges,  according  to  the  sovereign  law 
of  justice.  All  estates  have  need  of  this  divine  influ¬ 
ence,  and  of  all  these  comfortable  effects,  and  every 
religion  promiseth  them  all,  but  only  the  Christian  reli¬ 
gion  is  able  to  perform  them,  and  the  more  Christian 
it  is,  that  is,  the  more  near  that  it  cometh  to  the  purity 
and  simplicity  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  both  in  doc¬ 
trine  and  discipline,  and  the  more  Christianly,  that  is, 
the  more  powerfully  it  be  urged  upon  the  consciences 
of  men,  the  more  effectually  it  proveth  for  these  happy 
ones.  Let  us,  then,  upon  this  ground,  proceed  to  our 
trial  whether  the  pastor  or  prelate  be  more  profitable 
for  the  country  and  commonwealth. 

1.  The  Pastor  preserveth  the  prosperous  estate  of 
the  kingdom  and  commonwealth  by  labouring  to  pre¬ 
serve  piety,  righteousness  and  temperance  in  the  land, 
and  by  testifying,  with  all  his  might,  against  idolatry 
and  all  sorts  of  impiety,  against  unrighteousness  and 
all  sorts  of  injury,  whether  by  craft  or  violence,  and 
against  intemperance,  incontinence,  unlawful  mar¬ 
riages,  divorces,  and  every  other  kind  of  impurities ; 
for  these  three  where  they  reign,  he  knoweth  to  be 
more  near  and  certain  causes,  first  of  the  many  cala¬ 
mities  and  judgments  of  God,  and  then  of  the  altera¬ 
tions  and  periods  of  states  and  kingdoms,  than  either 
of  the  intricate  numbers  of  Plato,  or  the  unchanged 


10S 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


course  of  the  heavens,  or  whatever  other  cause  is  pre¬ 
tended  by  philosophers  or  politicians,  because  these, 
wherever  they  reign,  threaten  a  ruin  from  the  true 
fatality  of  God’s  providence  and  justice,  and  do  shake 
the  pillars  of  all  human  society,  as  idolatry  the  pillars 
of  the  kirk,  unrighteousness  of  the  commonwealth, 
and  intemperance  of  the  family,  and  one  of  the  three 
falling,  the  other  two  cannot  long  endure.1 

The  Prelate,  upon  the  contrary,  by  taking  in  his 
own  hands  the  power  of  the  General  Assembly,  which 
was  a  great  terror  to  sin ;  by  depriving  some  worthy 
pastors  of  their  places,  and  others  of  authority  in  cen¬ 
suring  of  sin;  by  destroying  the  discipline  of  the  kirk, 
and  by  his  own  many  unlawful  practices  and  permis¬ 
sions,  hath  given  way  to  idolatry,  blasphemy,  and  the 
profanation  of  the  Sabbath,  to  all  sorts  of  scandalous 
and  notorious  sins  of  unrighteousness,  uncleanness, 
and  of  the  abuse  of  God’s  creatures,  for  which  the 
wrath  of  God  cometh  upon  the  world;  but  most  of  all, 
by  bringing  a  great  part  of  the  kingdom  under  the 

i  Non  tam  numerorum  simulacra  inania,  aut  Solis  et  siderum  im- 
mutabilis  ratio  urbes  et  regna  perdunt :  quam  impietas  primum,  de- 
inde  injustitia,  ct  virtutum  expultrix  luxuria.  Dom.  de  la  None,  dis- 
curs.  polit.  1. 

Causas  eversionis  reipublicse  quserunt  in  ipsa  republica.  Arist. 
polit.  5.  Bodin.  de  repub.  lib.  4.  Daneus  politi.  cap.  5. 

K eu  au7sCi<m^ovc  7ript6iouc,  nat  ctvo<rioT(^ovc  7Tigi  ervyymis  kai  etc hxwrigouc 
TTiQl  TOl/?  OtXXOUf,  KCLl  CLVCtvS'(>>OOrrif>tOVi  7TSQI  Tct  S if  T OV  7T0XifJC.0V  VVV  »  TTQOcrQiV  CtTroJ'i- 

Xenoph.  Cyropsed.  8. 

Felix  respublica  esse  non  potest,  stantibus  mcenibus,  ruentibus  mo. 
ribus.  Chokier. 

Hffic  nisi  urbe  aberunt,  centuplcx  murus  rebus  servandis  parum  est. 
Plaut. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  109 

guiltiness  of  the  violation  of  the  covenant  of  God; 
and  by  going  against  their  oath  and  subscription,  hath 
drawn  on  many  visitations  from  the  hand  of  God, 
doth  daily  provoke  the  Lord  to  further  wrath,  striketh 
at  the  pillars  of  all  societies,  and  posteth  on  the  periods 
of  state  and  kingdom. 

2.  The  Pastor  accounteth  virtue,  truth,  righteous¬ 
ness,  Christian  simplicity  and  prudence,  to  be  the  best 
policy,  not  only  for  his  own  practice,  but  for  all  that 
are  in  authority,  and  for  all  societies,  and,  therefore, 
pronounceth  anathema  upon  the  chief  axioms  of  Ma- 
chiavePs  art,  whom  he  judge th  to  be  as  pernicious  a 
master  of  policy  as  antichrist  is  for  matters  of  religion,1 
and  these  two  to  be  the  principal  supports  of  Satan, 
the  direct  enemy  of  Christian  faith  and  obedience,  and 
the  crafty  subverters  of  kirks  and  commonwealths, — 
unfit  for  all,  but  most  unfit  for  us,  whom  grace  hath 
favoured  with  the  light  of  the  truth,  and  nature  hath 
fashioned  to  be  open  and  plain. 

The  Prelate’s  practices  do  proclaim  what  policy 
pleaseth  him  best.  Simulation,  dissimulation,  false¬ 
hood  and  flattery  are  known  to  be  the  ways  of  his 
promotion.  He  standeth  in  his  grandeur  and  possess¬ 
ed  his  peace  by  promising  good  service  in  parliament 
to  the  king  against  the  nobility,  and  blowing  the  bel¬ 
lows  of  dissension  betwixt  them :  he  warmeth  him¬ 
self  at  the  fire  he  hath  raised  betwixt  the  king  and 

i  Ante  omnia  optandum  principi  ut  pius  videatur,  non  tamen  ut 
sit.  Oportet  principem  semper  adversarium  in  se  alere,  ut  eo  op- 
presso  potentior  videatur.  Religio  animos  hominum  deprimit,  soevitia 
subditos  in  officio  continet.  Tuta  est  civitas  quae  dissidia  et  factiones 
nutrit.  Machiav.  de  princ.  et  comment,  in  Livium. 


110 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


the  kirk :  he  beareth  with  men  of  every  religion  pro¬ 
vided  they  be  not  anti-episcopal:  he  urgeth ceremonies, 
which  he  himself  otherwise  careth  nothing  for,  that 
they  may  be  a  band  of  obedience  to  the  slavish,  and 
a  buckler  of  episcopacy  against  the  opposites:  he  suf- 
fereth  papistry  to  prevail  and  new  heresies  to  arise, 
and  giveth  connivance  to  the  teachers  of  them,  that 
that  there  may  be  some  other  matter  of  disputation 
amongst  learned  men  than  about  his  mitre.  If  all  would 
follow  his  art  and  example,  antichrist  and  Machiavel 
would  be  our  chief  masters,  and  every  Scotsman  of 
spirit  would  prove  another  Caesar  Borgia,  or  Ludovi- 
cus  Sfortia.1 

3.  The  Pastor,  according  to  the  nature  of  things, 
distinguished!  betwixt  the  things  of  God  and  the 
things  of  Caesar,  betwixt  the  sovereignty  of  Christ  and 
the  sovereignty  of  man,  betwixt  the  dignity  of  the 
statesman  and  honour  of  the  elder  that  labours  in  the 
word  and  doctrine,  betwixt  the  palace  of  the  prince 
and  the  minister’s  manse,  the  revenues  of  the  noble¬ 
man  and  the  minister’s  stipend  ;  and,  according  to  the 
grounds  of  policy,  holdeth,  that  many  offices  should  not 
be  conferred  on  one  man  except  rarely  by  the  special 
favour  of  princes,2  upon  some  that,  are  eminent  as 
miracles  for  engine,  for  wisdom  and  dexterity, — by 
reason  of  man’s  infirmity,  the  weight  of  authority,  the 
order  of  policy,  and  the  peace  of  the  people;  that  as 
every  thing  in  nature  doth  its  own  part — the  sun 

1  Alter  Urbinatem,  alter  Mediolanensem  Ducatum  artibus  Machia- 
vellicis  invasit,  et  ad  tempus  tenuit,  uterque  Machiavellicee  politise 
exemplar  perfectissimum  misere  periit.  Dane,  polit.  praefat. 

2  E is  7r£og  h.  Aristot.  polit.  4. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


Ill 


shineth  and  the  wind  bloweth,  the  water  moisteneth 
— so  every  man  should  be  set  to  his  own  task ;  that 
one  man  cannot  be  iEneas  and  Hector,  Cato  and 
Scipio,1  far  less  can  one  and  the  same  person  be  suf¬ 
ficient  for  the  greatest  affairs  both  of  kirk  and  policy; 
and,  therefore,  the  pastor  keepeth  himself  within  the 
bounds  of  his  own  place  and  calling,  and  neither 
meddleth  with  civil  causes,  nor  taketh  upon  him  civil 
offices,  nor  seeketh  after  civil  honour. 

The  Prelate  maketh  no  distinction,  but  confound- 
eth  all,  as  compatible  enough  if  he  be  the  agent;  and 
albeit,  for  any  good  parts,  to  be  no  miracle,  but  neigh¬ 
bourlike,  yet  he  findeth  himself  sufficient  for  every 
thing  in  kirk  and  commonwealth,2  and  telleth  all  for 
fish  that  cometh  in  his  net,  whether  civil  offices,  civil 
honours,  civil  causes  or  civil  punishments.  Like  a 
prince,  he  hath  his  castle,  his  lordship,  his  regality, 
vassalry,  &c.:  he  hath  power  to  confine,  imprison, 
&c. ;  and  taketh  it  hardly  when  he  is  not  preferred  to 
offices  of  estate,  as  to  chancellor,  president,  &c.,  which 
his  predecessors  had  of  old.  And  thus,  against  all 
grounds  of  good  policy,  he  stands  in  pomp,  as  a 
mighty  giant,  with  one  foot  in  the  kirk  upon  the 
necks  of  the  ministers,  and  with  another  in  the  state 
upon  the  heads  of  the  nobility  and  gentry. 

4.  The  Pastor  assisteth  the  civil  magistrate  in 

1  Nemo  sapiens  existimat  se  posse  simul  iEneam  et  Hectorem, 
Catonem,  et  Scipionem  in  theatro  civitatis  agere.  Cas.  polit.  lib.  2. 

2  Romani,  Macedones,  Lacedsemonii  legem  tulerunt,  ut  nemo  duo- 
bus  simul  fungatur  officiis.  Metiothus  exercitum  ducit,  Metiothus 
vias  curat,  Metiothus  furinam  tractat,  Metiothus  cunctis  aliis  prteest, 
Metiothus  itaque  plorabit.  Plutarch. 


112  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 

planting  of  virtue  and  rooting  out  of  vice,  partly  by 
powerfully  preaching  home  to  the  consciences  of  sin¬ 
ners,  partly  by  censuring  lesser  offences  which  the 
magistrate  punisheth  not,  as  lying,  uncomely  jesting, 
rash  and  common  swearing,  rotten  talking,  brawling, 
drunkenness,  &c.  ;x  through  which  the  passages  to 
murder,  adultery,  and  other  great  offences,  are  stop¬ 
ped,  the  people  prevented  in  many  mischiefs  and 
great  enormities,  and  the  magistrate  many  ways 
eased ;  and  partly  in  censuring  of  greater  sins,  and 
purging  the  kingdom  of  foul  offences;  for  he  joineth 
the  censures  and  the  spiritual  sword  of  the  kirk  with 
the  sword  of  the  magistrate  so  impartially,  that  none 
are  spared ;  with  such  expedition  and  diligence,  that 
sin  is  censured  and  not  forgotten ;  with  such  authority 
that  the  most  obstinate  hath  confessed  that  the  kirk 
had  power  to  bind  and  loose ;  with  such  sharpness 
and  severity,  that  malefactors  have  been  afraid;  and  so 
universally,  that,  as  there  is  no  crime  censured  by  the 
kirk  but  the  same  is  punishable  by  temporal  jurisdic¬ 
tion,  so  he  holdeth  no  sin  punishable  by  civil  authority 
but  the  same  is  also  censurable  by  spiritual  power — 
the  one  punishing  the  offender  in  his  body  or  goods, 
the  other  drawing  him  unto  repentance,  and  striving 
to  remove  the  scandal. 

\  o  *  •  *  ,  , 

l  Hsec  coercio  ad  Christi  norm  am  dirigitur,  latenter  primum  et 
amice,  deinde  paulo  acerbius :  tunc  nisi  pares,  sequitur  interdictio 
sacrorum  gravis  et  efficax,  interdictionem  animadversio  magistratus. 
Ita  fit  ut  qufe  legibus  nusquam  vindicantur,  illic  sine  vi  et  tumultu 
coerceantur,  igitur  nulla  meretricia,  nullse  ebrietates,nullje  saltationes, 
nulli  mendici,  nulli  otiosi  in  ea  civitate  reperiuntur.  Bodin.  de  rep. 
Genevens.  meth.  hist.  cap.  6. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


113 


The  Prelate  is  unprofitable  to  the  civil  magistrate 
in  the  planting  of  virtue  and  rooting  out  of  vice ; 
for  where  his  government  hath  place,  preaching  hath 
more  demonstration  of  art  for  the  praise  of  the  speaker, 
than  of  the  Spirit  for  the  censuring  of  sin  and  the  con¬ 
version  of  the  sinner.  He  passeth  small  offences 
without  any  censure,  and  thereby  openeth  the  way  to 
the  greater  sins  of  murder,  adultery,  &c.,  and  giveth 
the  magistrate  his  hands  full :  he  vindicates  to  his 
court  and  jurisdiction  some  crimes,  as  proper  for  his 
censure,  which  yet  he  passeth  lightly:  the  censures  of 
the  kirk  and  sword  of  excommunication  in  his  hand 
serve  for  small  use  against  greater  sins;  for  either  they 
are  not  used  at  all,  or  so  partially  that  the  greatest 
sinners  escape  uncensured,  or  so  superficially  that  they 
are  rather  a  matter  of  mocking  and  boldness  in  sin 
than  of  repentance  to  the  sinner,  or  of  removing  the 
offence. 

5.  The  Pastor  is  chargeable  to  no  man  beside  his 
sober  and  necessary  maintenance  allotted  unto  him 
for  his  necessary  service,  which  the  people  can  no 
more  want  than  they  can  want  religion  itself,  or  their 
own  temporal  and  eternal  happiness. 

The  Prelate,  contrary  to  the  rules  of  policy  against 
the  multiplying  and  maintaining  of  idle  office-bearers,1 
hath  for  one  office,  serving  for  no  good  use  neither  to 
king,  nor  kirk,  nor  country,  allowance  of  a  large  rent, 
is  a  great  burden,  and  is  many  ways  chargeable  to  the 
commonwealth,  and  to  particular  persons;  by  his  great 

i  Non  est  studendum  ut  plurimi  sint  in  repub.  magistrates,  sed  ut 
quam  commodissime  et  optime  gerant  remp.  ii  qui  erunt  necessarii. 

9 


114 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


lands  and  lordships,  by  actions  of  improbation,  reduc¬ 
tion  of  fiefs,  declarator  of  escheats,  entries,  nonentries, 
&c. ;  by  selling  of  commissariats,  &c.;  by  raising  and 
rigorously  exacting  the  quotas  of  testaments ;  by  sums 
of  money  given  unto  them,  their  sons,  or  their  ser¬ 
vants,  for  presentations,  collations,  testimonials  of  or¬ 
dination  or  admission, — sometimes  by  people  who 
would  be  at  a  good  minister,  and  ordinarily  by  the 
prudent  friends  of  the  entrant,  who  can  find  no  entry 
but  by  a  golden  port. 

6.  The  Pastor  would  have  learning  to  grow,  and, 
considering  that  schools  and  colleges  are  both  the 
seminary  of  the  commonwealth  and  the  Lebanon  of 
God  for  building  the  temple,1  desireth  earnestly  that 
there  might  be  a  school  in  every  congregation,  that 
the  people  might  be  more  civil,  and  might  more  easily 
learn  the  grounds  of  religion  ;  he  would  have  the  best 
engines  chosen  and  provided  to  the  students’  places  in 
universities,  the  worthiest  and  best  men  to  the  places 
of  teachers,  who  might  faithfully  keep  the  arts  and 
sciences  from  corruption,  and  especially  the  truth  of 
religion, — as  the  holy  fire  that  came  down  from  hea¬ 
ven  was  kept  by  the  Levites:  he  desireth  the  rewards 

i  Quales  schola  exhibet  homines,  tales  habitura  est  respublica. 
Dan.  polit. 

Hinc  major  pars  salutis  vel  corruptionis  reip.  pendet,  et  ex  schola- 
rum  fontibus,  divini  et  humani  juris  prsesidium  vel  expugnatio  oritur; 
ibi  enim  discuntur  prima  literarum  monumenta,  artes  ingenues,  mores, 
jura  divina  et  humana,  quae  omnia  permaxime  interest  incontami- 
nata  servari,  &c.  Greg.  Tholos.  lib.  13.  cap.  3. 

Plebeiis  argenti,  nobilibus  auri,  principibus  gemmarum  loco  literas 
esse  debere.  iEneas  Syl.  Platina, 

Indoctus  Episcopus  asino  comparandus.  Idem. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  115 

of  learning  to  be  given  to  the  worthiest,  and,  after  they 
have  received  them,  that  they  be  faithful  in  their 
places,  lest  by  loitering  and  laziness  they  become  both 
unprofitable  and  unlearned. 

The  Prelate  is  not  so  desirous  of  learning  in  him¬ 
self  as  of  ignorance  in  others,  that  he  only  may  be 
eminent  both  in  kirk  and  commonwealth,  and  all 
others  may  render  him  blind  obedience  and  respect. 
He  devoureth  that  himself  which  should  entertain 
particular  schools :  he  filleth  the  places  of  students 
without  trial  of  their  engines,  to  please  his  friends  and 
suitors,  contrary  to  the  will  of  the  masters  and  the 
acts  of  the  foundations :  he  filleth  the  places  of  learn¬ 
ing  not  with  the  most  learned,  but  the  wealthiest  sort, 
who,  for  any  vigilance  of  his,  might  both  corrupt  the 
human  sciences  and  bring  strange  fire  into  the  house 
of  God.  If  a  learned  man  happen  to  attain  to  one  of 
their  highest  places,  which  they  call  the  rewards  of 
learning,  incontinent,  their  learning  beginneth  to  de¬ 
cay,  and  their  former  gifts  to  wither  away.  So  that 
their  great  places  and  prelacies  either  find  them  or 
make  them  unlearned. 

7.  The  Pastor,  by  the  government  of  the  kirk 
prescribed  in  the  word,  is  strong  to  resist  or  repress 
schisms,  heresies,  corruptions,  and  all  the  spiritual 
power  of  sin  and  Satan,  but  hath  no  strength  to  with¬ 
stand  the  temporal  power  and  authority  of  princes.1 
The  same  government  sorts  with  monarchy  no  less 
than  with  aristocracy,  through  the  wisdom  of  the  Son 

l  Possunt  judicare,  non  possunt  praejudicare,  habent  vim  charitatis, 
non  habent  vim  authoritatis.  Hugo  de  S.  Yictore  de  sacram.  part  2. 


116 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


of  God,  who  fitteth  the  same  for  all  nations  and  divers 
forms  of  civil  policy.  The  pastor  acknowledgeth  his 
prince  to  be  his  only  bishop  and  overseer,  superinten¬ 
dent  over  the  whole  kirk  in  his  dominions,  as  being 
preserver  of  the  liberties  of  the  kirk,  and  keeper  of 
both  tables ;  to  whom  also  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  kirk,  or  some  few  commissioners  chosen  by  them, 
and  convened,  when  it  is  thought  expedient,  by  the 
king’s  commissioner,  may  give  his  majesty  better  and 
more  speedy  satisfaction  in  kirk  affairs,  and  with 
greater  love  and  contentment  of  the  whole  kirk,  and 
of  all  his  majesty’s  loving  subjects,  than  can  be  given 
by  the  thirteen  prelates ;  all  which  may  be  done  upon 
a  small  part  of  the  prelate’s  rent,  for  bearing  the 
charges  of  his  majesty’s  commissioner,  who  also  may 
be  changed  at  his  majesty’s  pleasure. 

The  Prelate  and  his  government  is  weak  to  with¬ 
stand  the  spiritual  forces  of  sin  and  Satan  but  is  strong 
to  oppose  the  temporal  power  of  princes,  and  hath 
been  of  all  enemies  the  most  dangerous  to  monarchy; 
for  howsoever  now,  while  opposition  is  made,  he 
flatter  and  fawn  upon  the  prince  for  his  own  stand¬ 
ing,  yet  if  all  ministers  and  the  whole  kingdom  did 
acknowledge  his  superiority  to  bind  the  conscience, 
the  primate  of  the  kirk  would  be  more  powerful  than 
any  subject  in  the  kingdom,  and  might  prove  as  terri¬ 
ble  to  kings,  whatsoever  their  religion  were,  as  popes 
have  been  to  emperors,  and  prelates  have  been  to 
kings  in  former  times.1  He  hath  no  power,  for  all 


i  Quod  si  Christiani  olim  non  deposuerunt  Neronem  et  Dioclesia- 
num,  et  Julianum  apostatam  ac  Valentem  Arianum  et  similes,  id  fuit 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


117 


his  credit  and  lordly  authority,  to  get  any  thing  done 
to  his  majesty’s  satisfaction,  and  with  contentment  of 
the  kirk ;  for  all  the  craft  and  violence  that  hath  been 
so  long  bended,  never  one  whole  famous  congrega¬ 
tion  within  the  kingdom  is  either  conquered  or  like  to 
be  subdued  to  his  conformity,  but  either  the  better  or 
greater  part,  or  both,  have  resisted ;  and  yet,  for  his 
lordly  maintenance,  he  hath  impaired  the  rent  of  the 
crown,  in  so  far  as  it  was  aided  by  the  collectory,  and 
pulleth  from  the  king  the  rents  of  great  benefices,  the 
homage  of  vassals,  with  their  commodities,  regalities, 
and  other  privileges,  more  proper  for  the  sceptre  than 
the  shepherd’s  staff. 

8.  The  Pastor  desireth  no  other  title  but  to  be 
called  the  minister  of  the  town  or  parish ;  he  striveth 
with  no  man  for  precedency;  he  seeketh  no  place  in 
the  commonwealth,  neither  in  council,  session,  nor 
exchequer,  but  stirreth  up,  and  soundeth  the  trumpet 
in  the  ear  of  the  generous  spirits  of  the  kingdom,  to 
show  themselves  worthy  of  their  own  places;  and, 
whether  he  be  minister  in  burgh  or  land,  he  is  a  com¬ 
mon  servant  to  all,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  to 
parents  and  children,  to  masters  and  servants,  in  all 
pastoral  duties ;  while  he  liveth  he  harmeth  none,  but 
helping  all,  procuring  honour  to  the  greater  and  main¬ 
tenance  to  the  poorer  sort,  and,  when  his  life  is  brought 
to  a  comfortable  end,  every  soul  blesseth  him,  and  all 
mourn  for  him  as  for  a  common  parent. 

The  Prelate,  according  to  the  political  axiom, 


quia  deerant  vires  temporales  Christianis.  Bellarm.  de  Rom.  Pont.  1. 
5.  c.  7.  pessime  sed  ut  Hierarchicum  decebat. 

q* 


118  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 

“  When  virtue  waneth  vanity  waxeth,  and  many 
titles  much  vanity,’71  disdaining  to  be  called  anymore 
the  minister  of  Christ,  hath  taken  upon  him  the  titles 
of  the  nobility,— My  lord  of  Orkney,  my  lord  of  Caith¬ 
ness,  my  lord  of  Murray,  my  lord  of  Argyll,  &c.,  with 
the  title  he  taketh  the  place  before  them,  and  filleth 
their  places  in  council  and  session,  and  when,  risen 
up  from  his  dunghill,  he  is  set  on  high  places,  and  is 
drunken  with  his  new  honours,  he  lifteth  his  ears  like 
Isis7  ass,  and  as  handmaids  when  they  become  mis¬ 
tresses,  he  waxeth  so  insolent  that  he  cannot  be  borne. 
In  his  own  city  he  will  have  homage  of  all,  over- 
ruleth  the  election  of  their  magistrates,  harmeth  both 
parents  and  children  through  the  country,  by  giving 
warrant  for  sudden  and  secret  marriages  without  pro¬ 
clamation,  which  the  very  Council  of  Trent  cannot 
but  allow;  he  taketh  the  honour  of  the  greater  upon 
himself,  and  spends  that  upon  his  pride  which  should 
serve  for  the  poorer  sort ;  and  when,  after  many 
wishes,  his  life  at  last  is  brought  to  an  end,  the  whole 
diocese  is  filled  with  joy,  and  his  own  family  and 
friends  are  filled  with  contempt  and  disgrace. 

i  Virtute  decrescente  crescit  vanitas,  et  titulorum  arrogantiaj;  pro- 
verbium  de  repub.  Veneta  cum  usurparetur  titulus,  Domine,  sim- 
pliciter,  tunc  facta  est  resp.  cum  Domine  stabilita  est,  Magnifice 
Domine,  tunc  eversa  est. 

Plebeios  ex  humili  genere  natos,  si  ad  dignitates  et  honores  per- 
venerint,  immemores  suae  sortis,  plerumque  ambitione  insolentes  se 
efficere  aliosque  deprimere  conari  constat:  iidem  multo  insolentiores 
et  propemodum  intolerabiliores  magna  cum  jactura  reip.  esse  solent, 
quam  qui  nobili,  celebri  et  vetere  stirpe  geniti  sunt,  ita  ut  veterum  ille 
recte  dixerit:  JBajuli  imperant  etmali  sunt  superiores  bonis;  metuone 
navem  fluctus  opprimat.  Camer.  cent.  2.  Mattotj  S'ouxwrarct  yvvn 
SifTroivcL  ytvoiro.  Epig.  Graee. 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


119 


9.  The  Pastor  maketh  the  kingdom  fit  for  war 
against  the  time  that  necessities  give  alarm;  for,  by 
labouring  to  make  the  people  truly  religious  he 
maketh  them  fit  for  both  parts  of  Christian  fortitude, 
active  and  passive,  for  doing  valiantly  and  suffering 
constantly:1  in  the  time  of  peace  he  stirreth  them  up 
against  softness  and  intemperance  to  diligence  and 
labour,  whereby  their  bodies  are  the  more  able  and 
durable  :  he  strengtheneth  also  the  nerves  of  war,  by 
contenting  himself  with  a  mean  estate,  and  by  his 
doctrine  and  example  teaching  people  to  spare  in 
peace  for  the  time  of  war. 

The  Prelate  maketh  the  kingdom  unfit  for  war ; 
for  by  his  government  the  people  lose  true  fortitude 
with  the  love  of  religion;  that  if  they  have  any  kind 
of  courage  for  battle,  it  is  not  so  much  the  invincible 
courage  of  Christian  religion  as  the  carnal  and  bastard 
fortitude  of  paganism,  which,  in  comparison  of  the 
former,  hath  ever  been  but  pusillanimity ;  by  his  over¬ 
sight  of  rioting  and  idleness  their  bodies  become  weak 
and  effeminate,  and,  by  his  own  large  rents,  and  his 
example  of  prodigality,  which  to  them  is  a  law,  he 
enervates  the  estates,  and  cuts  asunder  the  sinews  of 
war. 

The  Prelate’s  objection . — The  Prelate  will  ob¬ 
ject,  that  if  you  that  are  pastors  understood  either  the 
manners  of  the  people  or  the  grounds  of  policy,  ye 
would  see  that  neither  can  noblemen,  and  others 
given  to  their  pleasure,  bear  your  simple  and  censo¬ 
rious  form  of  preaching,  nor  your  austere  and  precise 


i  Fortiter  ille  facit  qui  miser  esse  potest. 


120 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


form  of  discipline  and  life,  nor  yet  can  the  high  court 
of  parliament  want  the  prelates,  which  make  up  one 
of  the  three  estates:  that  ye  are  but  shallow  and  con¬ 
sider  not  what  depth  this  draws. 

The  Pastor's  answer. — We  know  that  of  all  ranks 
there  be  some  who  love  their  pleasures  more  than 
God,  and  these,  according  to  the  first  flattering  part 
of  the  objection,  will  say  with  the  old  verse  : 

“  Non  mihi  sit  servus,  medicus,  propheta,  sacerdos.” 

He  is  no  servant  fit  for  me, 

Who  physician,  prophet,  priest  will  be. 

For  such  may  neither  abide  to  be  cured  of  their 
spiritual  evils  by  the  counsel  of  God,  nor  to  hear  of 
the  evils  that  will  come  if  they  refuse  to  be  cured,  nor 
to  be  exhorted  to  repentance  when  the  calamities  are 
turned  upon  them,  that  they  may  be  turned  away ; 
but  all  are  not  such,  and  from  which,  while  they  are 
in  their  pleasures,  we  make  appellation  to  themselves, 
while  they  are  in  the  pains  or  terrors  of  death,  and  to 
be  presented  before  the  Judge,  whether  then  the  pas¬ 
tor  or  prelate  pleaseth  them  better  ?  The  other  part 
of  the  objection  the  wisdom  of  the  king  and  of  the 
honourable  estates  of  parliament  can  answer,  who 
know  how  a  parliament  may  be  perfect  without 
either  pastor  or  prelate.  If  by  the  name  of  a  parlia¬ 
ment,  we  understand  a  general  and  national  meeting 
of  the  whole  kingdom  and  kirk  by  their  commis¬ 
sioners,  with  their  supreme  magistrate  and  king,  every 
one  to  give  his  advice  and  judgment  respective  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  nature  of  the  society,  civil  or  ecclesias¬ 
tical,  which  he  represents :  commissioners  of  the  kirk 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  121 

to  give  resolution  from  the  word  of  God,  if  need  be, 
concerning  matters  civil,  but  not  to  meddle  with  civil 
causes  civilly,  and  to  propone  petitions  to  the  king 
and  estates  for  the  good  of  the  kirk,  to  require  their 
civil  sanction,  and  to  see  that  nothing  be  concluded  in 
things  civil  that  may  be  a  hinderance  to  the  worship 
of  God:  the  nobility  with  the  commissioners  of  baro¬ 
nies  and  burghs  for  civil  matters,  and  to  add  the  civil 
sanction  in  the  matters  of  God’s  worship ;  kirkmen 
chosen  and  instructed  by  the  kirk  may  sit  in  parlia¬ 
ment  after  this  sense,  and  are  bound  to  contribute  their 
best  help  for  the  honour  of  the  king  and  good  both  of 
kirk  and  country.  But  if  by  a  parliament  we  under¬ 
stand  the  highest  court  and  supreme  judicature  civil, 
meddling  only  with  civil  matters,  or  with  matters  of 
religion  civilly,  as,  to  add  the  civil  sanction,  and  to 
ratify  by  civil  authority  what  hath  been  put  in  canon 
by  the  kirk  before,  then  the  assembly  of  the  kirk  or 
their  commissioners  may,  or  should,  attend  the  high 
court  of  parliament,  as  the  convocation  house  doth  in 
our  neighbour  kingdom,  but  can  have  no  place  nor 
vote  in  parliament,  neither  in  making  laws  about 
things  civil,  nor  in  the  civil  authorizing  in  matters  of 
religion;  for  ministers  should  not  judge  of  the  right  of 
inheritance,  nor  pronounce  sentence  about  forfeiture, 
nor  make  laws  about  weights  and  measures,  &c.,  but 
should  exhort  the  people  to  obey  the  civil  powers. 
Without  bishops  or  ministers  laws  have  been  made 
by  parliament,  and  may  be  made  now  no  less  than 
without  abbots,  priors,  &c.,  who  had  once  vote  in 
parliament  no  less  than  they.  Their  benefices  are 
baronies  in  respect  whereof  they  claim  vote  in  par- 


122 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


liament;  but  they  are  not  barons  or  proprietors,  and 
heritable  possessors  thereof,  to  transmit  them  to  their 
heirs,  or  to  alienate  them,  but  only  are  usufructuaries, 
to  have  the  use  of  them  for  their  time;  neither  doth  it 
suit  with  the  minister’s  calling  to  have  such  baronies, 
nor  are  they  to  be  reckoned  for  ecclesiastical  persons, 
but  for  civil,  when  they  have  place  in  parliament  in 
respect  of  these  baronies,  and,  therefore,  cannot  vote 
there  in  name  of  the  kirk. 

To  conclude,  then,  Whether  we  look  to  the  word 
of  God,  or  to  the  more  pure  and  primitive  times  of  the 
kirk,  or  to  the  nature  and  use  of  things  indifferent,  or 
to  the  reformation  and  proceeding  of  our  own  kirk,  or 
the  good  of  the  kirk  and  of  the  people’s  souls,  or  to 
the  happiness  of  the  commonwealth  and  the  good  of 
every  one,  from  the  king  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne 
to  him  that  heweth  the  wood  and  draweth  the  water, 
we  may  see  whether  the  pastor  or  the  prelate,  whether 
reformation  or  conformity,  is  to  be  followed  by  the 
true  Christian  and  patriot;  and  that  there  is  as  great 
difference  betwixt  the  bishops  of  our  times  and  the 
faithful  pastors  of  the  reformed  kirks  as  betwixt  the 
light  that  cometh  from  the  stars  of  heaven  and  the 
thick  darkness  that  ariseth  from  the  bottomless  pit; 
and  it  may  be  made  manifest  that  since  bishops 
were  cast  in  the  mould  of  the  man  of  sin,  wheresoever 
they  have  ruled,  whether  amongst  the  papistical  and 
the  reformed  (some  few  excepted,  who,  when  they 
ventured  upon  these  places,  went  out  of  their  own 
element,)  they  have  been  the  greatest  plagues,  both 
to  kirks  and  kingdoms,  that  ever  had  authority  in  the 
Christian  world.  Neither  needeth  any  man  to  object 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE.  123 

that  the  comparison  that  we  have  made  runneth  all 
the  way  betwixt  the  good  pastor  and  the  evil  prelate, 
and,  therefore,  may  be  answered  by  the  like  unequal 
comparison  betwixt  the  good  prelate  and  the  evil  pas¬ 
tor,  as  if  the  most  part  of  the  episcopal  evils  above- 
mentioned  were  only  the  personal  faults  of  the  men, 
and  not  the  corruptions  necessarily  accompanying  the 
estate  and  order  of  prelates,  and  that  if  good  men  fill 
these  places  there  is  no  danger  but  the  kirk  may  be 
as  well,  or  better,  governed  by  prelates  than  by  pas¬ 
tors;  for  the  comparison  is  not  so  much  betwixt  the 
pastor  and  prelate  as  betwixt  the  office  of  a  pastor 
and  the  office  of  a  prelate  or  bishop.  “  It  is  one  thing,” 
as  Augustine  saith,  “to  use  an  unlawful  power  law¬ 
fully,  and  another  thing  to  use  a  lawful  power  un¬ 
righteously  and  unjustly.”1  Pastors  may  have  their 
own  personal  infirmities,  and  never  so  many  as  under 
the  prelate’s  government,  and  prelates  may  have  their 
own  good  parts,  and  never  so  many  as  by  the  occa¬ 
sion  of  the  pastor’s  opposition;  but  neither  the  one 
nor  the  other  are  to  be  ascribed  to  their  offices,  nor  is 
the  lawfulness  of  their  offices  to  be  judged  by  their 
persons.  It  is  true  when  an  unlawful  power  and  a 
lawless  man  meet  together  the  case  of  those  that  are 
under  his  authority  must  be  the  worse,  as  we  may  see 
in  the  papacy,  which,  being  always  evil  for  the  kirk, 
yet  have  proved  worse,  when  monsters,  instead  of 
men,  have  sat  in  their  seat.  But  it  is  evident  that  the 
evils  which  prelates  and  their  lordly  government  bring 
upon  the  kirk  do  flow  from  their  sole  jurisdiction, 

l  Aliud  est  injusta  potestate  juste  velle  uti,  et  aliud  est  justa  potes- 
tate  injuste  velle  uti.  August,  de  bono  conjug.  cap.  14. 


124 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PRELATE. 


exorbitant  power,  meddling  in  civil  government,  and 
the  curse  of  God  upon  that  unlawful  estate,  all  which 
are  common  to  the  whole  order,  and  not  peculiar  to 
some  persons;  and  the  corruptions  which  are  common 
to  all  in  these  places,  although  greater  in  some  than  in 
others,  of  necessity  must  flow  from  the  unlawfulness 
of  the  state  and  office  itself.  It  is  so  far  that  good  men, 
put  in  the  places  of  prelacy,  can  make  the  government 
good, — that  the  places  of  prelacy  have  ever  corrupted 
the  men  and  made  them  worse.  So  it  was  with  iEneas 
Sylvius,  who,  before  his  popedom,  seemed  sound  and 
honest,  maintaining  many  points  against  the  tyranny 
of  that  seat,  but,  being  made  Pope  Pius  II.,  retracted 
all,  and  proved  as  impious  and  antichristian  as  the 
rest ;  so,  many  that  have  been  of  good  account  in  the 
ministry,  and  given  hope  of  great  good  by  them  to 
the  kirk  when  they  entered  to  be  bishops,  yet  wholly 
degenerated  from  their  first  works,  and  learned  be- 
time  ululare  cum  lupis ,  to  howl  with  the  wolves; 
the  experience  whereof  made  Queen  Elizabeth  to  say, 
“  When  she  made  a  bishop  that  she  marred  a  good 
minister.” 


THE  END. 


N 


•  • 


,  • 


